Hi Jessariah

Yes the goal is to sell the screenplay and I should have given a little more about the story which is a supernatural thriller.

This is the logline:

No one could say down to earth MI6 agent Matt Preston is a religious man. But he's about to have his world ripped apart in SIS UNBOUND.

The idea is to give a flavour of what could be. Of course you can do more damage this way because your limiting your vision to what you can achieve on no money.

Im unsure as to whether to use this or not. Thanks for the comments!

depending on who you show it to, it will help. A client has shown trailers we made together to people for putting on theater productions, and it's worked out well.

I like the trailer, wish there was less computer people & more people people, but it gets the point across: i'm interested (i don't remember a trailer ever that's been true to the story of the film).

Thanks Stephen. I could take it up a level but then would it be justified in terms of cost work and time. They are all scenes from the screenplay.

http://www.mydeo.com/videodownload.asp?YID=1387&CID=212911

This is a short scene i did to test if it wasworking OK.

I am not sure what market you are pursuing is, but if I were looking to purchase a script for production, this would send me away. I am confused as to what the story line is or what makes it a marketable property. You are much better off with a well written concept treatment then a part annimatic, part live action trailer. A trailer like presentation is more appropriate for a director or production team to use to sell their vision and production direction of a script. Even then, it would be all annimatic or all live action. (unless that is the envisioned final production look)

I think this piece probably helped you envision your work and helped you see how to flesh out your script, but I would not use it as a script sales tool. IMHO

Had some cool shots with the videostuff , but not at all fan of compupeople.
I'm sure got tons work in that trailer and it shows ,but If your goal is to sell the script ,,not make the movie. 2 completely different deals.
then In my opinion it is not of any help.
I agree with kkolb

I am not sure what market you are pursuing is, but if I were looking to purchase a script for production, this would send me away. I am confused as to what the story line is or what makes it a marketable property

but he's not marketing to our type of people. He's marketing to the type of people who pop in a DVD & if they're not interested in the first 30 seconds it's never looked at again. Put this with a copy of the script & some more scenes for later viewing on a DVD & people interested in investing would like this very very much.

I think using a trailer is as good an idea as any considering how tough it is to get a screenplay read by the right folks. You need a solid hook! Keep working on the trailer. Bait the hook. Catch a fish. Just remember those fish are smart and won't jump for just anything.

I always think of a picture called "Harold and Maude" where the hook was something like this "They were drawn to each other by a flair for the dramatic but he was twenty and she was eighty. Could love survive?" Simple but compelling -- it's the "that's-ridiculous-could-never-happen" things that catch people's attention.
Curiosity is always "how do they get out of this?" ..

Just a thought: If your secret agent is NOT a religious man then a whack at the supernatural would have him questioning his sanity. Nice twist. He’s not out to save the whole world – just his world! Is someone very very smart and powerful playing with our hero or is it really REAL ?? Can he survive?

Sorry, I couldn't even watch it all. Time to rethink this IMO. Lots of good advice on how to do that in other posts.

The use of Animatics helps to get the visualization across, but in this case, it's too distracting.

"Put this with a copy of the script & some more scenes for later viewing on a DVD & people interested in investing would like this very very much".

No they wouldn't.

Many comments reflecting my own thoughts here.

But the problem with selling any script is even getting it looked at. With a 100,000 scripts registered with the WGA last year and with hollywood using its own writers with only about 30 from outside who are usually well known anyway. it becomes clear the odds are stacked against you. The only other possibility is to make the film yourself and bring on board investors.

No one with money they want to keep will invest in a film project though because its a serious gamble. Even for those with a proven track record. And then getting distribution deals etc.

There are grants offered. In the UK we have the film council which really is not even worth bothering with. I have phoned numerous grant agencies often its the wrong time or they only accept this or that or they stopped doing it... No one is even going to read your work let alone invest in it...
I tried to get an agent . (I have five scripts) but found they are not interested either. They are inundated with people wishing to join...

By showing this trailer Im trying to get some part of my project seen. I want to show potential investors that I at least have some idea about film making from blocking to editing camerwork etc.

Although I accept many others with money resources will do this bigger and better. I have to show at least some potential.

I guess as a previz then this helps me if no one else. Its also there if needed. And it helps me improve in creating storyboards.. As a tool to help sell it? Well now youve seen it would you be interested in reading the script? even the first page? If so then perhaps it does suceeed.

AND I have a two more that all intertwine making a trilogy of what I think could be a summer blockbuster for the next three years.

Oh well good to dream!

Thanks for the comments all noted and taken on board. :)

Here is the first ten pages of the screenplay!

http://www.freewebs.com/stormdrainfilm/SIS%20UNBOUND%20first%2010%20pages.htm

One more quick question. Do you think if I filmed the ghost and car chase sequences this would then work?

Thanks :)

but he's not marketing to our type of people.

He may not me marketing to you, but I have purchased scripts, hired script writers, and produced films. I would say I am exactly the kind of person he needs to be marketing to, if I were still in that end of the business.

Mark,

I think that doing these kind of projects helps you get better at visualizing your stories and thereby helps you write better. Doing the trailers and partial shoots are all helpful to your craft. Please continue to do so and share with us the results.

As you have found out, selling a script is a very hard nut to crack and is seldom successful. The successful group in big budget feature films is a very close and closed group. The key to making progress is to concentrate on selling you as a script writer rather than selling a script. The successful scripts that you write will most likely be the ones were a director and producer come to you and say "Write this." In my experience, most of what gets made in the big budget land starts as someones concept and then is passed to a scriptwriter to take farther.

In an unsolicited piece of advise, I would write some extremely well crafted no budget scripts and work with folks to make those a reality. Get known for the body of your work. Then get invited to move up.. From the no budget productions, you gain enough clout to write a film festival independent. (now you can get an agent to return your calls) Then you earn the clout to write the big budget stuff your agent gets assigned to you. (BTW, the chances of writing a big budget work without an agent is very small) After you have written what they tell you to write, you will get someone's ear to pitch your own big budget original work.

It is a long road, but it is a magical ride.

Best of luck

kkolbo

That's really great advice and I 100 percent agree!

The intention of the trailer is to go with the script as an aid to helping people understand and visualise some of the story it may be viewed after reading the script even. Its a sweetener to get people interested in reading it. This is some of the scenes.. NOW do you want to find out why? A trailer in the ordinary sense is to get bums on seats. This is to inspire confidence curiosity and a desire to find out more. The logline would of course be included.

Surely having something like this is better than nothing? As a way to gain interest? Yes I understand if I used this alone then its not saying anything particular apart from this is a big budget effects probably expensive film. But its to be used with the script too.

The real problem I have with it comes from my limited experience in making films in that someone may read the script and see it a certain way say Arnie as the lead while someone else may see it and think No thats gotta be hugh grant! I dont want to ruin anyones potential to see this their way by adding my footprint to it.

In an unsolicited piece of advise, I would write some extremely well crafted no budget scripts and work with folks to make those a reality. Get known for the body of your work. Then get invited to move up..

Absolutely 1000% fantastic advice. My company has 13 properties right now, ranging in budgets. We don't even talk to people about the "bigger stuff." We tried to finance a $1.5M feature for almost two years, until I finally wrote a no-budget, two-location script that we shot earlier this summer in 8 (very long) days. We're already talking to people about money for another project (still working toward that $1.5M project that we took on 2 years ago). And that project had Jeffrey Dean Morgan and other names you'd recognize attached to it.

Bottom line - nobody cares how good you think your script is. If you create something and prove yourself that way, you open your own doors. Otherwise, you are just one out of thousands waving a quarter ream of paper over your head.

You CAN make a good movie for no money (no money is a myth, BTW - you must feed your people, etc.). But you need to know how to write low/no budget. That, in itself, is a real challenge - how do you tell a compelling story that takes place in a handful of locations with a handful of characters? I've seen movie after movie that tried to do too much and tried to execute FX, etc. that they just didn't have the resources for.

BTW - if you're interested in the Dream House trailer, you can see it at: [link]www.dreamhousemovie.com/media/trailer.wmv[/url]

Again, good luck with your project.

KH

Wow Kevin you have my respect. Getting a film made is no easy task. I can see the letus being put to work there ! I would be interested in seeing your film at some point. Perhaps a special showing for Vegas users? Hey if you need an english villian?

Good luck with this.

Mark

Mark,

Thanks. Nice call on the letus - how did you know that is what we used?

We might be inviting people to a sort-of internet-based test audience before we put it in front of distributors -- I'll announce it here if that's the case.

Keep at it. There's nothing easy about the line of work you're shooting for - but you can say that about anything worthwhile in this life.

K