‘In short, there is no market.’ This is a harsh statement for all aspiring screenwriters, which needs to be clarified.
Indeed, there are no agents and producers in the urgent need for a short film script. But there is no need for them either. This gives everyone the opportunity to practise en miniature the whole process of writing and marketing a script.
‘In short, there is no market.’ This is a harsh statement for all aspiring screenwriters, which needs to be clarified.
Indeed, there are no agents and producers in the urgent need for a short film script. But there is no need for them either. This gives everyone the opportunity to practise en miniature the whole process of writing and marketing a script. Moreover, if you find someone who shows interest in your script, you probably come to participate in the production as well.
Many advertise their scripts in any sorts of film schools. If you can convince a group of students that your script is better than theirs, then you are in. Here you can expect highly motivated people that are up to getting their first screen credit. An additional challenge is the lack of structure you are faced with here. This is a perfect field to develop and practice organising skills for those who also aspire to direct a film at some point of their career.
The opposite direction of that is to look out for a new film crew that needs a good script. Here, one point of departure is also the film schools, another the Internet. Craigslists, community classifieds, pages related to short film contests, or blog boards offer a wide range of options. Mostly, it is also possible, and quite effective, to advertise one’s own script on the sites.
Another address is short film contests and related happenings like The Short Film Market of Clermont-Ferrand in France. To mention one more, the Berlinale in Berlin has a Talent Campus that organizes a contest for new coming screenwriters. But these are just two of many.
And still, the actual business of short film scripts is reduced to festival and student project related events like contests. At least that is what it looks like.
An often-overlooked sphere of markets for short film scripts comes into play with TV advertising spots. Although their format is really concentrated and pragmatically influenced, agencies and small producers often need interns. And this offers at least a small insight in the professional making of a film. You can also try to freelance for an agency that is frequently looking for ‘short scripts’.
In this little niche of short film scripts you won’t find any agents either but a lot of business in the closest sense of the word and a good portion of market orientation.
