What if a production studio optioned your book or paper?
Option is a word I hear a lot in my Scriptwriters Network seminars. No one knows the typical amount “they” (producers) pay to option or buy a script, but it must be a lot, right? I’ve heard $1000 to $10,000 to buy from a newbie author.
To option a script means to put the written work on hold so no one else can make it. The option could be on a finished script, a pitch, a book, or even…a term paper!
Options can last for years…and some of the biggest hits at the box office were! Of course, now that the whole world knows everything about movie-making (thanks, paparazzi, TMZ and gossip rags!) I assume everyone’s thinking about this the moment they type Fade In.
Then there’s the part that It Could Happen to You…because studios buy such schlock, surely they wouldn’t overlook something good, like your script? Or even a test or research paper? They couldn’t be worse than some of the Lifetime movies out there. (Maybe I’m too optimistic.)
Keep sending them out to script readers.
NOTE: I changed the caption a little. Yes, that’s allowed, and a good idea if you think of a better one. New caption is at bottom of post.
ID # 2400las Caption should read: College students: “I only got a C in my chemistry exam, but the film department wants to option it.”
Set painter in studio Art Depts. Member Scriptwriters Network, script analyst.
Author, 2 hardcopy books, Barnes & Noble Calendar.
- Emma in the Night ~ Wendy Walker ~ Thriller - May 11, 2023
- Still Alice (2014) ~ Psychology Movie Review ~ Julianne Moore - January 25, 2023
- The Other Emily ~ Dean Koontz - January 23, 2023
