Information about Spec Script
A spec script is a "speculative" screenplay, one that the Variety slanguage dictionary defines as being "shopped or sold on the open market, as opposed to one commissioned by a studio or production company."[1]
Spec scripts are written for various reasons:
If the script sells, the writer may receive a payment of anything from a few tens of thousands of dollars to several million. If not, the script is sometimes dead in the water because it is now in the databases of the studios and development executives, and has been marked as having been 'passed' on.
However, most of the hundreds of thousands of spec scripts penned each year are written by unknowns who are trying to attract attention and find it difficult to generate the kind of “buzz” that more established scribes count on to sell their scripts. (See the screenwriting documentary Dreams on Spec.)
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Spec scripts are written for various reasons:
- by writers, who hope to have a script optioned and eventually purchased by producers or studios;
- by writer/directors, who want to direct a film themselves;
- by amateur writers hoping to convince a literary agent to represent them or a producer to hire them.
Attracting producers
The process of 'going out' with a spec script can be an extremely tense and nerve-wracking one for a writer. If the writer has an agent, the agent will identify a number of prospective buyers who may range from small independent producers to executives working in the major studios, and attempt to build up 'heat' under the script. The script is sent out simultaneously to all the prospective buyers, usually to be read over the weekend, in the hope of attracting a bidding war.If the script sells, the writer may receive a payment of anything from a few tens of thousands of dollars to several million. If not, the script is sometimes dead in the water because it is now in the databases of the studios and development executives, and has been marked as having been 'passed' on.
However, most of the hundreds of thousands of spec scripts penned each year are written by unknowns who are trying to attract attention and find it difficult to generate the kind of “buzz” that more established scribes count on to sell their scripts. (See the screenwriting documentary Dreams on Spec.)
Sample script
A sample script is usually not intended for production, but to showcase the screenwriting skills of the author, in hopes of attracting the attention of an agent or producer. Often a spec script which fails to sell goes on to be a sample script.See also
References
screenplay or script is a blueprint, written by a screenwriter, for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing works such as novels.
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Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. It has been published since 1905, starting by covering vaudeville with offices in New York, then opening a Los Angeles bureau in the 1930s by Sime Silverman.
It publishes three paper editions and a Web site.
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It publishes three paper editions and a Web site.
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In economics, the open market is the term used to refer to the environment in which bonds are bought and sold.
To intervene in the "business cycle", a central bank may choose to go into the open market and buy or sell government bonds, which is known as
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To intervene in the "business cycle", a central bank may choose to go into the open market and buy or sell government bonds, which is known as
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Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of performing arts, film, radio or a television program. The company may also be directly responsible for the raising of funding for the production or may do so through an intermediary.
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Film options
In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a movie studio, a production company, or a producer (henceforth called the "producer") and a writer, in which the producer obtains the right to buy a screenplay from the writer, before a..... Click the link for more information.
A literary agent represents writers and their written works to publishers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers.
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IMDb profile
Dreams on Spec is an American documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood screenwriters. It was written and directed by Daniel J.
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Dreams on Spec is an American documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood screenwriters. It was written and directed by Daniel J.
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Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for film, television or video games.
Writing for film is potentially one of the most high-profile and best-paying careers available to a writer, and as such, it is perhaps the most sought after.
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Writing for film is potentially one of the most high-profile and best-paying careers available to a writer, and as such, it is perhaps the most sought after.
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A typical writer's deal usually comprises:
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- Option: Monies paid in exchange for the right (the "option") to produce -- and therefore to purchase outright -- a screenplay, treatment or other work within a certain period.
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Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity.
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The WGA script registration service is run by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) to protect the copyright in literary property useful in the US entertainment field.
The service supports the WGA screenwriting credit system but is also available for non-members to use.
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The service supports the WGA screenwriting credit system but is also available for non-members to use.
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IMDb profile
Dreams on Spec is an American documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood screenwriters. It was written and directed by Daniel J.
..... Click the link for more information.
Dreams on Spec is an American documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood screenwriters. It was written and directed by Daniel J.
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Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and finally distribution to an audience. Typically it involves a large number of people and can take anywhere between a few months and several years to
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Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.
In the film industry, pre-production usually only commences once a project has been developed and is greenlit.
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In the film industry, pre-production usually only commences once a project has been developed and is greenlit.
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screenplay or script is a blueprint, written by a screenwriter, for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing works such as novels.
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The process of breaking down the script occurs after the producer reads through the screenplay once. Then he or she goes back and marks certain elements that need to be taken care of before production, or even before pre-production can begin.
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A script breakdown is an intermediate step in the production of a play, film, comic book, or any other work that is originally planned using a script.
Film and television
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The Filmmaking Paper Trail:
Pre-production:
Screenplay | Breaking down the script | Script breakdown sheet | Production strip | Production board | Day out of Days | One liner schedule | Shooting schedule | Film budgeting Production:
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Pre-production:
Screenplay | Breaking down the script | Script breakdown sheet | Production strip | Production board | Day out of Days | One liner schedule | Shooting schedule | Film budgeting Production:
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A traditional production board or production strip board is a filmmaking term for a cardboard or wooden chart holding colour-coded strips of paper, each containing information about a scene in the script.
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Day Out of Days is a chart used by filmmakers to tally the number of paid days for each cast member. The chart must be prepared after the shooting schedule. Once it has been completed, work can begin on a budget.
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A One Liner Schedule or One-Line Schedule is a filmmaking term for a shorter version of the shooting schedule. This type of schedule usually omits information about cast and location.
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A shooting schedule is a project plan of each day's shooting for a film production. It is normally created and managed by the assistant director, who reports to the production manager managing the production schedule.
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Budgeting is an important aspect of film production.
During script development, a rough budget is produced by filmmakers in order to convince film producers and film studios to give them a greenlight for production.
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During script development, a rough budget is produced by filmmakers in order to convince film producers and film studios to give them a greenlight for production.
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Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and finally distribution to an audience. Typically it involves a large number of people and can take anywhere between a few months and several years to
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The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a film production, created by an assistant director, informing them where and when they should meet for a particular day of shooting.
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A daily editor log is maintained by the script supervisor during the production of a motion picture, or television show. The form is used to compile the beginning and ending mark of each shot.
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A daily progress report is a filmmaking report that is produced at the end of each shooting day by the First Assistant Director (1AD) and passed to the Production Manager for approval.
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The Film Inventory Report or Daily Raw Stock Log is a filmmaking term for a report produced by the clapper loader each day. The report shows how much raw film stock was used that day, the number of good and no-good shots and the amount of film stock wasted.
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A sound report is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper created by the Sound Mixer to record details of each take recorded, the DAT or DVD program number (PNO) or timecode and any other comments. It may also include the number of audio or DAT tapes used for the day's recording.
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A daily production report (DPR) or production report (PR) is a filmmaking term for the form filled out each day of production for a movie or television show to summarize what occurred that day.
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