Here is her original letter:
Dear_____________:I'd love the opportunity to submit my latest original screenplay based on the following premise, for your consideration.
BEING NOBLE -- NOBLE MCALASTER struggles with the challenge of holding his family together in the face of his wife's terminal cancer and his own secret battle with a brain tumor.
Haunted by the thought he is responsible for taking away the kind of life his family wanted, Noble is driven to prove his love and himself. Noble demonstrates the quiet simplicity of lessons learned, sacrifices made, and the misunderstandings of love.
With your permission I would like to send the 110-page WGA registered screenplay for your review. Is a standard release acceptable, or is there an in-house one you would prefer? Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Here is the revised version, which Cindy says is "getting requests from agents as well as prodcos."
Dear______________:When you wish to prove your love for someone, is the motive selfish or selfless?
This is the question plaguing NOBLE MCALASTER in my latest screenplay, BEING NOBLE, which I would like to submit for consideration.
Noble McAlaster struggles with keeping secret a truth that could forever change his strained relationship with his daughter, in an attempt to demonstrate his love for his terminally ill wife. Noble fears if his secret is known his family will misinterpret his actions as those of redemption, rather than selfless love.
Set against the glittering backdrop of Las Vegas, Noble and his family discover taking a gamble is not always an act of desperation, it can be a statement of faith. Noble has little time to set things right, and for the first time in his life; he's not sure what right is.
With your permission I would like to send the 110-page WGA registered screenplay for your review. Is a standard release acceptable, or is there an in-house one you would prefer? Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Cindy has learned a lot about marketing in the traditional "school of hard knocks," one's own experience. Here is some of what she's learned:
"The most important thing I've learned is not to market too early. The reputation of your work begins as soon as you send it out - make sure that first impression is one you can be proud of. Sure be proud that you finished a screenplay, but realistic that just typing FADE OUT doesn't mean it's FINISHED. REWRITE until it is the best it can be, and then go back and make sure you can't do just a bit better. What you send out should be the best you can do, this way, even if that story may not be what is wanted/needed, if it is written well[very well] and in correct format they may request to read other work of yours. If it is not written well, you may never get another chance with that person."The next item of importance in marketing IMO, is the query letter must be professional, succinct, and such a grabber that the reader just has to request the script to find out what happens. It is for this reason I start with the names on the bottom of my TO QUERY list. I kind of test drive my query with the first 20 to 25 prodcos, see what kind of a response I get.
"And in order to get the query letter to your target market, research must be done. Be sure you address it to an individual, not STORY EDITOR or such. There are many directories out there, do research. In the beginning, I would send out queries rather blindly. The response was not great. Now, as I'm writing I research prospective prodcos and agents. I read everything I can get my hands on in regards to this business. Think of how Melanie Griffith's character in WORKING GIRL researched - read everything and use common sense. Now, when I send out query letters I get a much higher request rate.
Some things to think about in researching prodcos:
- What types of scripts have they purchased in the past? [Check IMDb, DoneDeal, or merely go to a video store and make a list of all prodcos that have done projects similiar to yours.]
- Are they looking into other genres? [read the trades and read/listen to interviews]
- Are any of the execs [or stars they work with] making a public outcry regarding things such as domestic violence, guns, etc. [This is helpful if you have a script that deals with one of these topics.]
- And keep a notebook with loglines that you wish to develop/are developing near the phone. The first time a producer called me in response to a script, I was so nervous I couldn't think of any of my other scripts to tell him about - BIG MISTAKE!
BE PREPARED to pitch other scripts at a moments notice."
Cindy Boucher