Chapter Ten
A Brief Look at the Industry
The Deal
To have the faintest glimmer of a chance to
break into the highly competitive business of
screenwriting, a new screenwriter needs to understand
something about how the film industry works.
There are two sides to the film business: the
production of films and the distribution of films.
Obviously one couldn't exist without the other, and
indeed the distribution side often helps to finance
production.
For a new writer, film production--how films
come to be made--is the most important to understand.
This side of the business can be reduced down
to one word--money.
That might be doing a disservice to a great
many creative people who pick their projects based on
more than the financial rewards they will receive. But
nevertheless, it is a fact that with the money in place
to make a film, there are more than enough creative and
technical people readily available for hire.
Much of what goes on behind the scenes in
Hollywood revolves around money.
After the Second World War there were drastic
changes in the studio system. Studios no longer had
under contract enough talent and technical personnel to
make a picture from start to finish.
There once was a saying around Hollywood:
"Blessed are the deal-makers for they shall inherit the
industry." In many ways, they have.
By the end of the 1980s, the person said to
have the most clout to get a film made was not the head
of a studio. Michael Ovitz, head of Creative Artists
Agency, Inc. (CAA), was said to be the most powerful
man in the film industry. Why? Because his agency
represented the largest share of the top creative
muscle in the film business.
Ovitz could package or put together almost
any film with top talent simply by attaching his
various clients to the project. In other words, he
could make the deals that resulted in a film getting
financed and made.
Today, it is "the deal" which dominates and
determines what films reach the screen.
The route film development takes, more than
ever, is dominated by the process by which money is
raised to make it.
Putting the various key creative elements
together (script, director, stars) is called packaging.
The significance of packaging a film is that
most film investors (including the studios) will not
invest the millions of dollars needed to make a major
motion picture based only on a script. They invest,
instead, in the film package.
There are generally 3 minimum ingredients to
any film package:
1) a successful director,
2) a bankable star, and
3) a script, story or a strong story idea.
By bankable star is meant a star who has been
in one or more recent hit movies and who investors feel
will give some security to their investment.
The involvement of a bankable star will:
a) ensure that the film is widely distributed,
and
b) ensure that at least some people will go to see
the film--that a film "will open."
Getting a bankable star for a project is not
easy. At any time, there are a dozen or so stars whose
involvement alone in a film will mean that the film
will get made.
Such stars are flooded with scripts to
consider. Their agents work diligently to immediately
weed out any offer which is not solid. An agent may
ask for "player pay" money, for instance. This can be
as much as half a million or more. In this kind of
deal, the producer pays the star to become attached to
the project. If the film does not get made, the star
still keeps the money.
In packaging a film, directors are often
acquired first, before a star is linked to the project.
Not only is a "name" director a key element to a
package, but many directors also have good relations
with stars. The director can sometimes get a star on
board.
Linking these elements together in tangible
form requires the making of deals. And when this
package is in place, actually obtaining the money to
make the film requires further deals.
So you begin to see why "the deal" has become
so important.
The Producer
A film project is usually packaged either by
a producer or by an agency (in which case, a producer
with a track record may be part of the package).
With a package, a producer will try to sell
the film to one of the studios, or in some instances,
will try to raise funding from other sources.
If a studio is interested in the project it
will usually first make a development deal with the
producer. This gives the producer money to further
develop the project and in essence, gives the studio
ownership of the film package.
Development deal money is usually split
between the director, the writer (if further work on
the script is needed at this point), and the producer.
The producer then begins the sometimes
arduous task of serious negotiations with all the major
creative participants (also known as "above-the line"
as these are the people whose salaries in the budget go
above the demarcation line of the basic costs to make a
film).
These contracts with the major players in a
film project can be very complex and may not even be
finalized until the film is nearing production. The
deal may first be sealed with deal-memos which lay out
in legal terms the basis of the agreement.
Because so many projects never get beyond the
development stage, a writer will usually be offered a
step deal. For instance, if a writer is being offered
$400,000 for a script, he might get $30,000 on signing,
a further $35,000 when a director is signed, another
$30,000 when a star is signed, $30,000 when a
production date is set, and the rest on completion of
principal photography.
This is desirable for producers and studios
because it means that a writer may never see anything
more than the first payment.
"The evolution of any single motion picture
deal is often sufficiently complex and dramatic to make
a book in itself," say film critic David Pirie. "At
every stage of negotiation, from development to `script
satisfaction' to `election to proceed', there are ploys
and pitfalls, threats and flattery. Long delays
punctuate each stage as, with dinosaur-like progress,
the studio contemplates each tiny step towards
production, knowing that millions of dollars may be
lost if they move too fast on a project that isn't
ready.
"The psychology of this whole industry is
based on fear," says one producer. "The fear to make
the film. The fear not to make it. The studios have
to be constantly reassured."
A studio often decides to back out of a film
project after investing in a development deal. The
film is then put in "limited turn-around." This means
that, for a limited time, the project can be offered to
other studios or investors who can buy out the original
studio.
As part of the development deal contract,
there will usually be a "change-of-elements" clause
which prohibits the producer from changing any of the
elements of a film package if it is put into turn-
around.
This means that in offering the film to other
studios or investors, the producer cannot change the
package. It has to be the same package that the
original studio finally turned down.
The Option
The first thing a producer will usually offer
a writer is an option. For a small amount of money,
the producer will buy the right to purchase a script or
story.
Options usually range from 3 months to one
year, with clauses allowing for an additional year
option to be purchased. After an option has expired,
all rights to the script revert to the writer.
Depending on the financial position of the
producer, the amount of money paid for an option can be
downright pitiful.
Small-time producers have been compared to
desperate players in crap shoot. It is an old
Hollywood saying that producers can't make a living out
of their jobs, they can only grow rich. Even if a
small producer has a development deal or two with a
studio, he can be hard-pressed for cash.
Added to this, Hollywood is filled with want-
to-be producers, just as it is filled with aspiring
actors and writers.
Such would-be producers often try to take
advantage of a writer--or worse, may actually try to
cheat him. Horror stories abound.
A producer may try to get an option on a
script for nothing. On the surface, this can look like
a good bet for the new writer, especially if he has run
up against the multitude of Hollywood's brick walls
that are designed to keep the hordes of want-to-bes at
arm's length.
A new writer might even think any possibility
of his script being produced, no matter how faint that
possibility might be, is better than nothing.
But consider this. If a producer does not
have the wherewithal to purchase an option, what
likelihood exists that he will have the resources
needed to run the gauntlet to actually package the
project and raise a million dollars or much more to
produce the film?
Small-time hustler-type producers will
sometimes try to get hold of a dozen or more scripts
for nothing. They will play upon the writer's hopes
with talk about their contacts. They will then try to
package and interest investors in a number of low-
budget films at the same time.
If a producer has paid nothing for options on
these scripts, he can afford to promote a lot of
different projects at the same time. Any one of these
might interest an actor or director with some credits
(those who are not really considered bankable to the
studios but who might be enough to convince other
investors to invest in the film).
Even so, if a producer does not have the
resources to buy an option (or is unwilling to spend
his money for an option), the chances are heavily
stacked against his ever being able to produce your
script.
In the very large majority of cases, you will
have gained nothing by giving away an option for
nothing. You will only have prevented yourself from
being able to show your script to other producers for
the duration of the option.
Small time producers may also request a
writer to work on spec (speculation), something which
the new writer can easily be suckered into with talk of
the producer's "contacts." A writer should never do
this. Writing on spec is frowned upon by the Writers
Guild of America (WGA) because there have been so many
abuses of this in the past.
If you write a script or treatment and offer
this to a producer, the script is yours. The producer
can read it but he can do nothing else with it unless
he signs a contract with you. The script is your
property just like a car or house.
If a producer asks you to write something, he
should pay you for this. A producer who requests you
to write for nothing is simply trying to take advantage
of you, or is so impoverished that his chances of
producing the script are almost zero.
No legitimate producer will ask a writer to
write on spec.
For a new writer, Hollywood is filled with
sharks. The writer's only protection against these is
conducting his business along the procedural paths
which exist to protect writers from unscrupulous
producers.
Copyrights
Any original work which is "fixed in any
tangible medium of expression" is copyright under U.S.
law.
The author of the work is automatically
protected against unauthorized copying from the moment
of fixation--at least in theory.
The problem lies in proving that you wrote
something before someone else did.
The way screenwriters usually protect
themselves is to register a copy of their scripts with
the Writers Guild of America West (8955 Beverly
Boulevard, Los Angles, CA 90048) or the Writers Guild
of America East in New York.
The Guild points out: "Registration does not
confer any statutory protection. It merely provides
evidence of the writer's claim to authorship of the
literary material involved and the date of its
completion. A writer has certain rights under law the
moment the work is completed. It is important that the
date of completion be legally established."
To qualify for copyright protection, a work
must be "original."
Furthermore, under the 1976 copyright law,
copyright protection only extends to the expression of
an idea, not to the idea itself. The copyright act
specifically states that copyright does not cover an
idea.
Ownership of copyright depends upon the
conditions under which the work was created.
Specifically, this breaks down into three categories:
1) Works created by a single author.
In this case the copyright rests initially with the
author.
2) Joint works.
These are defined as "a work prepared by two or more
authors with the intention that their contribution be
merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a
unitary whole."
In this case, all the authors are co-owners of the
copyright.
3) Work for hire.
When a writer works for another person or for a company
and he writes something within the scope of his or her
employment, the copyright of the work automatically
belongs to the employer. The script, treatment, etc.
is described as a WORK MADE FOR HIRE.
A copyright, like other types of property,
can be transferred by written assignment. Therefore,
it is a very wise idea to have a lawyer check over
anything you sign pertaining to any of your scripts.
As of March 1, 1989, use of a copyright
notice (the notice identifying the year of publication
and the copyright owner) is voluntary. Copyright
protection can no longer be forfeited through
publication without notice.
Registration of a copyright work, whether
published or unpublished, may be made at any time
during the term that a copyright is in effect.
Registration involves filing a copy of the work with
the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress and
paying a registration fee.
Registration is a prerequisite to instituting
legal proceedings for copyright infringement. There is
also a provision in the copyright law which states that
no statutory damages or attorneys' fees may be awarded
to the copyright owner for infringement of copyright in
an unpublished work if infringement began before the
copyright was registered.
Copyright lasts for 50 years after the death
of the author, or 50 years after the death of the last
surviving author of a joint work. It lasts 75 years
for a work for hire script from the first date of
publication, or 100 years after the date of creation,
whichever is shorter.
To protect yourself, always register a copy
of your script either with the Writers Guild or the
Copyright Office prior to showing it to anyone.
(Note: None of the above, or anything in this book,
should be construed as legal, financial or career
advice. In developing and managing your career, you
should always consult a certified accountant, lawyer,
or other professional for individual advice pertaining
to your specific situation.)
Agents
In Hollywood, it is essential for a
screenwriter to have an agent.
For one thing, many production companies
simply will not look at a script if it does not come to
them through an agent. (In the cases where a
production company does agree to look at a script that
comes directly from writers, they will usually be
required to sign a legal release form first.)
Getting an agent is not easy. Few of the
established agencies will accept unsolicited scripts
from new writers.
An agent's bread and butter lies in
representing the screenwriters whose scripts are
selling. It is these from whom an agent can reasonably
expect to collect a 10% or 15% commission. So by and
large, established agents only represent writers who
have already sold scripts.
The situation facing new screenwriters, then,
amounts to a virtual "Catch-22." They will have
difficulty getting an agent until they have sold a
script. And they cannot get most production companies
to even consider a script, let alone buy it, without an
agent.
The harsh reality is that a new writer is up
against considerable obstacles to even get his work
looked at.
However, new agents who have just set up shop
are sometimes willing to look at unsolicited scripts
with a view to building up a client base. The Writers
Guild publishes a regularly updated list of agents and
indicates on this which of these are willing to accept
unsolicited scripts.
Even with these, a writer should first write
or telephone the agency or agent, detail his experience
or academic credentials (if these relate to
screenwriting in any way), and briefly describe the
kind of script he wants to submit. The agency will
then tell the writer whether or not they are interested
in looking at it.
Even when a new writer does have an agent, he
should still continue working to sell his script
himself. Many established screenwriters say that their
agents have never sold anything for them. What these
writers have sold, they have sold through their own
contacts. But these writers still generally value
their agents because they have negotiated better deals
once someone was interested in their work.
As soon as a writer finds someone who is
interested in a script or his services, he should
notify his agent who will negotiate financial and other
contractual terms.
Having a deal in the works is one way to get
an agent. Once you have a producer interested in an
option on your work, you can phone around to various
agents and usually will find one quite willing to
represent you for his usual commission.
Failing this, if you have a deal in the
works, you can also find an entertainment attorney to
negotiate the deal for you.
In either case, the role of such
representation is not only getting you the best deal
possible, but also to ensure that the contract you sign
is proper and fair.
Realities Of The Business
The simple fact of the matter is that there
are far more people writing and trying to sell scripts
than there are markets to buy them--far, far more.
There are said to be, on average, 200 medium
and high budget feature films produced each year in
America. This is not very many.
There are thousands of writers in the Writers
Guild who have sold one or more films.
A produced screenwriter might write three or
four feature scripts a year on spec--usually more than
he has managed to sell. Added to these are the many
thousands of writers who are trying to break into the
film business by selling scripts they have written. It
is easily estimated that there are over 100,000 feature
film scripts floating around Hollywood at any one time.
The flood of available scripts usually is
evident in the offices of any feature film production
company. The director of creative development will
have a mountain of scripts, most of which have come
from agents. He will employ readers simply to weed
through all these and to find the few that they might
want to consider. A production company might only
produce one or two films a year--many far less than
that. The company might go through thousands of
scripts just to find the right one for them--the one
they want to gamble on.
If you convince a production company to look
at your script, it then joins the mountain of other
scripts they have to read.
In trying to sell a feature script (or in
trying to write for television), you are attempting to
break into one of the most competitive businesses in
the world.
But there is no secret that will increase
your chances of breaking in.
Ideally, you have written two or three
scripts which are well written, commercial and better
than the other scripts production companies are
getting. But that is just the start.
You have to work hard to get those scripts
around and being read by people in a position to buy
them.
A writer may have written a saleable script.
He then may, through persistence, get half a dozen
production companies to read it. None are interested.
Meanwhile, he goes on to write another script, and the
earlier one eventually ends up in a closet at home.
Provided that the script is saleable, a
writer should continue to get it around to as many
production companies as will look at it. He should
leave no stone unturned. Remember some of the biggest
movie hits in history, including Star Wars, were turned
down by many studios and many producers before someone
finally decided to take a chance on it.
One thing about getting a script read is
that, if the quality is good enough, the writer will
develop quite a number of contacts who will then
usually be willing to look at other scripts he writes.
A good script is not only a property you are
selling. It is also advertisement for you as a writer.
In getting your scripts read by as many production
companies as possible, you are promoting yourself.
While your scripts are circulating, you
should also be working to build up contacts in the film
industry any other way you can.
This is why it is often said that in America,
one virtually must live in Los Angeles to break into
either film or television writing. As a poor second
choice, a writer might get somewhere living in New
York. But that is a very big maybe. There is almost
no third choice of where to live, at least according to
conventional wisdom. Not everyone, of course, can
simply up and move to Los Angeles.
If you live someplace else, you still need to
somehow get Los Angeles producers reading your scripts.
You might be able to get an agent or even a young
entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles circulating your
material.
As in almost any other business, it is what
you know and who knows you. Both count.
One of the advantages UCLA or USC film school
graduates have over other new writers is that some of
their fellow classmates usually have landed jobs in the
film industry. Through these contacts, they not only
get to learn a lot about what is going on behind the
scenes. They also know someone who can arrange to have
their scripts read.
The film business is a complex and ever-
changing business. The hot names of today may be
history tomorrow. Many books have been written about
the industry and you should read a number of them to
learn the business.
We cannot even begin to cover the film
industry here in the way you need to understand it.
However, we will touch upon a few key points.
Co-Producing
One way to increase the chances of getting
your script bought and made is for you to raise part of
the budget to make it yourself.
If you can raise half the budget, for
instance, you can approach a great many production
companies who will then look at the script in a very
different light.
In fact, if you talk with small producers
about a project, one of the first questions they may
ask you is whether you have any financial backing lined
up already.
You can also get your scripts read by actors
and directors--although usually not the big ones.
While the people you get to read your scripts may not
have the clout to get a studio interested in your film,
these people still have contacts. They might get a
small producer interested in the script because they
want to be in it or want to direct it. In fact, many
up-and-coming directors and actors are looking for
projects to attach themselves to as a way of forwarding
their own careers.
Projects come together in a lot of strange
ways. It has been said that a book could be written
about the gauntlet any one film passes through on its
way to the big screen.
Write With A Budget In Mind
If your script can be produced for under $1.5
million (but if it would also make a $10 million film),
you have a script that has a fairly broad market.
If you write a script that could only be made
for $20 or $30 million, you have reduced chances of
selling it to almost zero.
There are far fewer production companies
around with the wherewithal to make a $30 million
dollar movie. But more than this, how many companies
are going to risk $30 million on a new writer with no
credits to his name? One $30 million dollar movie has
even pushed studios to the brink of financial
catastrophe. A $30 feature which flopped could easily
mean the end of a smaller production company.
Remember, the $40 million flop Heaven's Gate finished
off United Artists.
If a company is raising $30 million to make a
film, it can easily afford to pay a big-name
screenwriter for the script. And this is what they
will usually do.
So forget the big-budget extravaganzas until
you have made a name for yourself.
What things in a script shoot up the budget?
This isn't hard to figure out. Anything which involves
more than simply filming actors on location somewhere
is going to raise the budget. This includes special
effects, historic drama, lots of exotic location
shooting, scenes that take place all over the world,
etc. etc.
If you cannot go into any one city in the
U.S. and easily film your whole script, then budget is
probably already skyrocketing.
To give you a little better idea of what
expenses are involved in producing a film, here is a
sample budget for a film that would cost a million
dollars to make:
SAMPLE BUDGET
Budget Recap
Title: Road To Bogsville Production company: Highball
Prod.
Above-the-line
100 Screenplay
$32,000
200 Producer
34,000
300 Director
25,000
400 Cast
110,000 $201,000
Below-the-line
Production
500 Production
staff 41,400
600 Extras
12,000
700 Set operations
69,600
800 Sets
34,000
900 Props
21,200
1000 Costumes
13,800
1100 Makeup and hairdressing
14,000
1200 Production Equipment
42,000
1300 Locations/studio
25,600
1400 Laboratory &
film 78,000
1500 Tests
500
1600 Production misc.
33,000
385,600
Postproduction
1700 Editing
92,000
1800 Sound
29,000
1900 Music
52,000
2000 Titles & opticals
10,000
2100 Laboratory
26,600
2200 Sound mix
23,600
232,200
Other costs
2300 Insurance
40,000
2400 Miscellaneous
50,200
90,200
Total
909,000
10% Contingency
90,900
Grand total
$999,900
Budget Detail
100 Screenplay
101 Story rights
$ -----
102 Writer, screenplay
31,000
103 Research and
Travel ------
104 Script copying
280
105 WGA registration
20
106 Script timing
700
32,000
200 Producer
201 Executive producer
------
202 Producer
30,000
203 Associate producer
------
204 Secretary
4,000
205 Assistants
------
34,000
300 Director
301 Director
25,000
302 Dance director
------
303 Secretary
------
25,000
400 Cast
401 Lead players
70,000
402 Supporting
players 30,000
403 Stunt persons
6,000
404 Looping allowance
4,000
110,000
500 Production staff
501 Production
manager 17,000
502 First assistant
director 8,000
503 2nd assistant
director 4,000
504 Script Supervisor
5,600
505 Technical advisors
-----
506 Production
assistants 2,400
507 Secretary
4,000
41,400
600 Extras
601 Extras
10,000
602 Stand-ins
------
603 Stunt persons
2,000
12,000
700 Set Operations
701 Director of
photography 9,600
702 Camera operator
-----
703 1st camera
assistant 6,000
704 2nd camera
assistant 4,000
705 Sound mixer
8,000
706 Boom operator
6,000
707 Gaffer
6,000
708 Best boy
4,000
709 Generator operator
-----
710 Electrician
4,000
711 Key grip
6,000
712 Set grips
12,000
713 Dolly grip
-----
714 Wranglers
-----
715 Still photographer
2,000
716 Special effects
person 2,000
717 Welfare worker
-----
718 Guards
-----
69,600
800 Sets
801 Art director
8,000
802 Construction
crew 16,000
803 Construction
costs 10,000
34,000
900 Props
901 Property master
5,000
902 Assistant
3,200
903 Props purchase
4,000
904 Props rental
6,000
905 Props truck
3,000
21,200
1000 Costumes
1001 Wardrobe supervisor
5,000
1002 Assistant
3,200
1003 Wardrobe purchase
3,000
1004 Wardrobe rental
1,000
1005 Cleaning
1,400
1006 Misc. supplies
200
13,800
1100 Makeup and hairdressing
1101 Makeup person
8,000
1102 Hair stylist
6,000
1103 Assistants
-----
1104 Body makeup
-----
1105 Supplies purchase
-----
1106 Supplies rental
-----
14,000
1200 Production Equipment
1201 Camera package
22,000
1202 Sound package
4,000
1203 Lighting package
6,000
1204 Grip package
6,000
1205 Generator
-----
1206 Vehicles
4,000
1207 Miscellaneous
-----
42,000
1300 Locations/studios
1301 Location manager
8,000
1302 Location rental
11,000
1303 Permits
1,200
1304 Police and firemen
400
1305 Studio rental
2,000
1306 Studio personnel
1,600
1307 Dressing rooms
-----
1308 Portable rest rooms
2,000
25,600
1400 Laboratory and film
1401 Negative film stock
30,000
1402 Developing negative
16,000
1403 Daily printing
30,000
1404 Still film and printing
2,000
78,000
1500 Tests
1501 Makeup tests
1,000
1502 Screen tests
-----
1,000
1600 Production miscellaneous
1601 Animals
-----
1602 Telephone
4,000
1603 Catering
14,000
1604 Mileage
12,000
1605 Shipping
3,000
33,000
1700 Editing
1701 Editor
36,000
1702 Assistant editor
18,000
1703 Apprentice editor
8,000
1704 Editing facility
rental 14,000
1705 Editing equip. rental
8,000
1706 Supplies purchase
1,600
1707 Coding
6,000
1708 Preview screenings
400
92,000
1800 Postproduction Sound
1801 Sound transfer
8,000
1802 Dialogue editing
6,000
1803 Looping costs
4,000
1804 Sound effects editor
6,000
1805 Sound effects costs
4,000
1806 Foley recording
1,000
29,000
1900 Music
1901 Composer
20,000
1902 Conductor
-----
1903 Musicians and singers
21,000
1904 Arranger
-----
1905 Copyist
2,000
1906 Recording facility
5,000
1907 Instrument rental
1,000
1908 Misc. supplies
1,000
1909 Music rights
-----
1910 Music editor
2,000
52,000
2000 Titles and opticals
2001 Main & end titles
8,000
2002 Optical effects
2,000
10,000
2100 Laboratory
2101 Black and white
dupes 2,000
2102 Reprints
-----
2103 Stock footage
-----
2104 Optical sound track
600
2105 Answer print
16,000
2106 Misc. lab costs
2,000
2107 Negative cutting
5,000
25,600
2200 Sound mix
2201 Mixing facility
20,000
2202 3-stripe magnetic
stock 1,600
2203 Optical transfer
1,000
2204 1/4" protection
copy 400
2205 Special equipment
rental 600
23,600
2300 Insurance
2301 Negative insurance
2302 Errors and omissions
2303 Workman's compensation
2304 Cast insurance
2305 Other
allow
40,000
2400 Miscellaneous
2401 Business license
1,200
2402 Accounting
6,000
2403 Legal
20,000
2404 Misc. supplies
5,000
2405 Office and phone
12,000
2406 Postage
1,000
2407 Promo
5,000
50,200
Subtotal
909,000
10% Contingency
91,000
Completion bond
------
Grand total
$999,900
Selling The Idea
One of the key things that determines the
marketability of a script is the idea behind it.
When Steven Spielberg was asked at an
American Film Institute seminar whether he favored
short treatments or finished scripts, he said: "What
interests me more than anything else is the idea. If a
person can tell me the idea in twenty-five words or
less, it's going to make a pretty good movie. I like
ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in
your hand."
Spielberg is far from alone in this view. If
you look at most the successful films in the last 10
years, they have had a very simple basic story which
could be summarized in 25 words or less. This is
something to keep in mind when you set out to write a
script. Ask yourself, "How original is this story?
Does it have an interesting angle or twist?"
This does not mean that a new writer is going
to be able to sell a film from a treatment. The
general consensus is that a new writer must have a
finished script. Otherwise, a producer doesn't even
know if he will be able to execute the idea in a
viable, shootable script.
But the idea behind the story may be the most
important aspect in determining the saleability of your
script.
New writers most often have success selling a
script when is there is a strong, interesting, fresh
idea behind the story. The story hasn't been done that
way before.