Agents Q&A

There was a Q&A with agents Rob Kraitt of AP Watt and Matthew Bates of Sayle Screen as part of the Screenwriters’ Festival Launch Event which took place at BAFTA on Thursday.  Here’s some of what was said:

On the state of the industry

RK: It’s hard out there at the moment, but there will always be opportunities because there will always be TV drama.

MB:  It’s a numbers game. The hours available are being cut. The Bill is just one example, it used to make 100 hours of TV drama and now it makes 50.  This means writers who have gigs are reluctant to move on and give them up, and producers have got reduced budgets to worry about which makes the risk of a new writer less appealing than a safe and proven pair of hands. But there are opportunities out there – like the Writers Academy, although it only takes 8 writers a year, whereas it used to be that there was a more fluid coming and going throughout the year.  It’s always been a fight though, it’s just got a little bit harder.

RK:  It’s not like there’s suddenly going to be a glut of cheap talking heads stuff.  Keep doing what you’re doing.  Get to know script editors.  Make yourself known to the Writers Room and the Writers Academy.  Things are a little bit more positive in the film industry and there are still low budget production opportunities out there, although funding has been cut to some extent, mostly due to the Olympics, but there are still places like the Film Council and Guiding Lights. 

MB:  The British film industry has never been that brilliant so nothing’s really changed now.  The dedicated and entrepreneurial will continue to succeed. Writers just have to know the market. They should always have done but now they really have to make that effort.  Although, saying that, at the start of your career you should be writing specs that will get you noticed, not ones you think might get made.  Nothing will get made unless you get noticed first.  You have to impress people and build relationships to get through the door.  Not write generic, samey stuff that you think is hitting market trends.

RK:  The reality is, you’ve got to be good at treatments and pitching.  You’ve got to get producers excited in your projects.  You’ve got to be always coming up with fresh ideas. If you’re not writing commissioned stuff you should be coming up with new work. The industry has been bloated for a long time.  The current climate will help rebalance things and the people who deserve to shine through will.

On approaching agents

MB:  Make sure you’re ready.  It’s demoralising and depressing to keep hitting a wall of rejection.  Agents take referrals and recommendations more seriously than unsolicited approaches but if you can get some attention and a bit of glitter on you then you’ll be more interesting to an agent. And writers generally get agents after they’ve done quite a bit of work for themselves, not just written a couple of scripts. We do accept unsolicited submissions but we get inundated so you really have to make yourself stand out and capitalise on your exciting moments.

RK:  We don’t look at unsolicited submissions so a writer has to be recommended or come to our attention through schemes and so on. The other thing is, some people think if you turn up with a deal on the table you’ll get signed straight away. It’s not just about one deal. It’s about a body of work and a career.  If you’re already doing the business for yourself you’ll be more attractive.  An agent is just there to take you to the next level. I don’t want clients who are just in it for the money. They have to have a love of what they do and be willing to work hard to forge a long term career. They have to be self motivated and resourceful, and always be fostering new relationships.

MB: Agents are there to provide legal advice, contract negotiations, career guidance when there are choices for the writer about which project to take on next and also to provide honest feedback.  But the writer has to be a hard worker, they have to work at their craft and their writing, and be always learning about the market. There can be no laziness or cutting corners.

On the Screenwriters’ Festival

RK:  The Screenwriters’ Festival is really great for networking and bringing together a disparate community of writers, producers and directors who don’t have many opportunities to meet up throughout the year. 

MB: And it gives you a real energy boost, a buzz.  It’s a celebration, and it helps you remember why you do what you do. People go to share their war stories, share their vision for the future, even share their anger on certain aspects of the industry.  Established writers go to maintain relationships and foster new ones.  And for new writers, going along shows commitment and dedication to your career.  So much about this business is luck, new writers need to be in the right place at the right time, so going to events like SWF opens you up to the potential of good fortune. 

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You can read more about Thursday’s launch at Phill Barron’s blog, where he’s gone on to make some very sensible and pertinent comments about the UK film industry in general. He’s also drawn a couple of pictures of some sperm but, you know, you can’t have everything.

Piers Beckley has also posted about the event and explained why he thinks the Screenwriters’ Festival is worth every penny. He’s even told you where you can apply to for help getting those pennies together, how’s that for service? 

The Screenwriters’ Festival is running from 26th to 29th October 2009.  If you’ve not already bought your ticket, you can get it here. 

See you there.