The Art of Submission

No, no... not the MMA kind - although it would be cool to learn that. I'm afraid I can't me of much assistance there. But there are some submission issues that have come up recently. First, using lawyers to submit unsolicited scripts/screenplays/etc. and second, releases (which I'll discuss in a later posting).

Many large studios/production companies require you to have an attorney submit your unsolicited work to them. And in turn, countless aspiring writers have combed through their social networks to locate a lawyer who has practiced, at least in some minor part, "entertainment law". But the submission of scripts requires no more legal expertise than cooking a decent omelette, or more to the point, getting into a popular nightclub. These studios/companies are not trying to find creative ways to employ showbiz lawyers, and this is not a creative way to generate legal fees - these entities have simply shifted some of the burden of determining the legitimacy of submitted work to a group that can't really say "no" to the added workload.

Showbiz lawyers need showbiz, and if Hollywood says that this cadre of legal professionals will be the new gatekeeper for manuscripts and screenplays, then that's how it will be. And so it is. And now, with no additional cost to itself, the tv/movie industry has significantly reduced the number of ill-considered submissions that it has to review. The real purpose of requiring you to find a lawyer to submit your work, is to force you through this additional layer of scrutiny.

Most lawyers who don't work regularly in entertainment can't really even submit a script on your behalf, as most studios won't accept material from a lawyer or firm they don't already "know" - and for the lawyers that can get your stuff through, most of them aren't going to simply take the submission work if they don't already know you. From a colleague of mine who is a partner at an entertainment law firm:

I have had some luck in submitting projects to production companies that I have relationships with, but even then it's pretty spotty. I never feel right charging clients for script submission work, because I feel like I'm just getting the client's hopes up and they're going to be disappointed in the end. On the other hand, taking them on with a 5% deal is like doing charity work without the satisfaction of saving lives or trees.

Your best bet (although I know it's news that no writer wants to hear) is to continue to try and find an agent - who will already have a connection with an entertainment lawyer who submits work on their behalf. Besides, you don't really want a lawyer deciding on the viability of your creative efforts, do you?