Our executive team provides the experience, access and ability to develop, submit and/or pitch scripts and content to *investors, studios, streaming, cable and broadcast stations. 

Script Writers: How Do You Plan To Take Your Script To The Next Level?
LinkedIn Post
Our Producer spoke with an investor for some of the biggest box office hits in the past 10 years regarding what it takes to get a film or series production deal.

 

The Next Step To Take ... 

Develop A Producer's Package To Present Your Project

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Note: When potential investors or industry executives ask you to send them information about your project ... they want to see more than a script!

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Our All In One Producer's Package Includes 

Pay Later and Other Payment Plans Are Available

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Script Polish and Producer’s Package - $1,295 Film or Series. 

For a full list of what's included in our package click here.  

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• A Producer's Package

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• A Script Polish 

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• Pitching/Submitting - Our team will identify and submit your script to companies we believe your script meets their programming, entertainment and business needs.

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•  Concept Video / Not included in this package, but if ordered with this package receive 20% off the rate stated for our Concept Video.  

Services can be requested separately

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To Get started, contact us  to speak with our 
Emmy® Award Winning Writer, Award Winning Producer and Show-runner
Susan Flanagan.​​​​

What's Included In Our All In One Producer's Package - Film or Series 

• Pay Later and Other Payment Plans Are Available

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​Script Polish and Producer’s Package - $1,295 Film or Series  

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• Script Polish - A Script Polish is needed for all scripts before they are submitted or pitched to investors, streaming, broadcast and industry executives. Our evaluation ensures what is written reflects your vision, that the structure has a flow from beginning to end, and that it appeals to the entertainment and marketing needs of the execs it will be pitched to. 

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• Edit Of Log Line and Synopsis: A short synopsis.

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• Budget: Top sheet budget - created by line producer familiar with cost that are specific to production and budget needs of who it will be submitted to.

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• Executive One Sheet - Includes a summary that highlights information regarding the entertainment and business value of your project. 

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• Pitching/Submitting - Our team will identify companies we believe your script meets their programming, entertainment and business needs. Streaming, studios, cable, and broadcast stations set the standards and guidelines for submitting projects. For 3 months BSI will assist in submitting your project to industry executives expressing a willingness to accept, evaluate and review your project based on their rules, terms, and programming needs for purposes of licensing, optioning, or producing content. 

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• Optional: A Concept Video with a run-time of 30 seconds to just under a minute, is the most effective visual to submit to industry executives and investors. Insiders use videos as part of their presentations to highlight the entertainment value of their projects and demonstrate how it meets their programming needs.

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• Funding - If seeking investors or funding for your project and you do not have an agent, talent, director or equity funding attached to your project, securing funding will become an even greater challenge. Scripts that meet the standards set by investors will be considered for including in film slates our executives submit to investment groups. ​​

• Click here for our Q&A with investor Syd Shaffer regarding securing funding and/or production deals.

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We can provide individual services to meet your specific needs

• Producer’s Package - $695                                                         

• Script Polish / Feature Film - $795.00

• Our complete package is priced lower.

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BSI Films is led by Susan B. Flanagan our Executive Producer, Emmy® Award Winning Writer, Award Winning Producer and Show-runner.

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Rates:

• Film Script Polish starts at $795.00 and up

• Script Polish for series start at $595.00 and up

When is a Script Polish needed:

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A Script Polish is needed for all scripts before they are submitted or pitched to investors, streaming, broadcast and industry executives. For a detail description of a script polish, see below.

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Our Polish of a script follows the same guidelines and standards investors, streaming, broadcast and industry executive clients requires Susan to adhere to, when polishing a script prior to them reviewing, approving it for funding or sending a script to series. 

Our Script Polish includes:

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• A review and evaluation to determine if what is written reflects your vision, appeals to the audience it is targeted for and meets the needs of the industry executives you plan to submit it to. 

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• Evaluate the flow, structure and strengths of the beginning, middle and ending of the storyline. We also perform an analysis of each scene to determine the smoothness of the transition to the next scene and it's overall impact on the story. 

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• Where needed, enhance the dialogue to highlight the genre or a character’s approach to a specific scene and it's appeal to the targeted audience.

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• Look for scenes to cut or trim. Focus on dialogue that can be dropped or trimmed to enhance the scene description.

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• Evaluate the pace: A combination of dropping, switching, or reworking scenes to enhance the flow of the story line.

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• Depending on the genre: determine which scenes a character's actions can be increased to match the genre, i.e., for a comedy does it need more jokes, if drama does it need more tension, if action, does it need more violence etc.

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• Final review and edits of entire script after all of above steps have been completed, to determine if it meets the vision of the writer and business or programming needs of the party it's being submitted to.

Today's Topic

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Script Writers / Producers - Q&A With Investor of Independent Feature Films and Media Content

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Some of you may have already read this information. I posted it again because for those who have not read it, may find it helpful ...  contact us / click here.

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My name is Elyse, I'm a producer with (BSI - Media & Film Productions Inc.)

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For this post ...  I had a candid conversation with investors from the U.S. and Syd Shaffer from Europe.

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Mr. Shaffer has helped raise funds for some of the world’s top grossing feature films, including several major projects that our executive producers – Slavik I.A. and Susan B. Flanagan have helped develop and produce. He agreed to answer a few questions I had about funding independent projects. His comments are below.

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*Warning … Syd has a colorful way of talking and uses strong language.

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• Elyse: What chance does an independent really have of getting a film funded or a production deal from streaming, cable, or broadcast company?

• Syd: They have the same chance as anyone else in this room with the right people presenting it and they play by the rules.

• Elyse: So, who are the “right people” and what are the rules?

• Syd: The right people are those who have a f**king clue about how this process works.

No one in this room has ever given millions to someone they never heard of, never met, who has no credits and only a script to show us. If you got a producer or exec. producer that has experience, credits from major companies, has contacts or permission to contact players, you got a chance. At the very least know how to develop a project so that when it's presented, we get info we're looking for. But if all you got is a script, your chances of getting funding from anyone in here is none and never.

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As for the rules, they’re very simple. Have a person, producer or exec. producer that knows both the business side of this industry and the creative. If talking to someone in this room, they want to know the genre, what talent is attached, how much is needed, what financial instruments do you have in place to protect their investment, is there distribution in place and how much profit will I make .... and that has to be done in less time than it takes for them to sip out of the glass they're holding.

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Keep in mind, they are not going to read your script, listen to how great you think your script is or want to hear how much money other movies made that are similar to yours. We already know how much money other movies have made, and we're not interested in how great you think your script is. However, we are open to hearing about what the public thinks. Have you promoted your script online, any book sales based on your script or the number of social media followers from webisodes? Basically, any numbers that proves there are people interested in your project, we will listen to. If you're new and don't have anything to show us, get someone to help you.  

One more thing .... I along with everyone in this room haven’t read a script in decades. If I want to know about your script or what it takes to produce it, I’ll hire Susan or someone like her to tell me what the hell is going on, so don't ask me to read your script.

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   *** Let me ask you a question. I know most of your executives, I also know they don't have time to read scripts, I bet they have you do it ... am I right?

• Elyse: OK... yes, they have me read them. We're the first step. We determine if it meets basic writing standards set by industry executives. If it gets by us, Susan and her editor will perform an evaluation and edit if needed before showing it to anyone ... but you know that. Question: If independents don’t know the right people or have a producer or exec. What can they do? ​

• Syd: If you don’t have a knowledgeable producer or exec. producer … find someone! 

There are professional writers, producers and even production companies you may be able to retain or get to assist you. However, every producer I've spoken to has had someone helping them. Just like any business, you have someone assist with meeting your goals. Don’t worry, you’re still in charge. They just know more than you.

News flash … no one is going to do this sh*t for free. They are not going to stop working on their own projects, to pay staff to develop and market yours. But whatever you do, don’t retain just anybody to help you. There are a lot of good people in this industry that can do what they say, but unfortunately there are also a lot that can’t do a damn thing. You are looking to compete with others that know how this industry works. Find someone that helps you compete. Note, if someone tells you they guarantee they can get your project produced, bend over you're about to get hit hard.

Finding the right people to help someone can be difficult, but I know for a fact it can be done. Independent projects get funded or production deals every day! Independents don't have to be experts, but they must at least look like they put some effort into answering basic questions investors and industry executives will ask.

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In my opinion, finding an agent or a professional to drop what they're doing and not get paid to help you is a waste of time. Looking for these people in most instances, are about making money and will not talk to you. They have their own projects they're trying to get produced.  Also, just like major studios, production companies do not fund or invest in feature films.  You don't think Disney and production companies are writing $200/million dollar checks to make a movie do you? My company would not be in business if that was how this business works!  Just like us, they use someone's else's money.

Good news ... Producers and independents have found it's easier and cheaper to develop and package their scripts, and then present it to streaming, cable and broadcast companies, i.e., Netflix, Amazon, Disney, cable and then negotiate a production deal for their project.

But if they want funding, they got to put on a hard hat, because they got work to do before approaching investment firms, hedge funds, financial institutions etc. 

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• Elyse: What if an independent does not have a person or producer or exec. producer, does not want to retain someone to help them, or follow your rules?   What other options can they pursue for finding an investor?

• Syd:    Really? Is this a serious question? 

So, you’re going to ask me for millions but don’t want to follow my rules. So why the f**k should I give you my client’s money? If you don't want to follow rules and procedures, the best option is to raise money on your own, hire a crew, talent and then film and distribute the film on your own. In today's world there are ways to make that happen, but don't come to me.

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Listen, here's the real deal, there’s a shit load of money being paid out even for low budget movies, not to mention big budgeted films, even scripted series have budgets in the millions … per episode! So, following the rules and process is mandatory. 

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This is big business! You can’t even rob a bank and get the money people are asking for to make a movie these days. High risk and high rewards are out there for those who want to play. If an independent wants to go up against insiders for funding their films, series or getting a script sent to series, it ain’t gonna be easy and there's no guarantees ... that’s even if they have some serious people helping them! But if you don’t follow the process, chances are the challenges will be even greater ... especially if the people you're competing against are following the rules.

Keep in mind, some scripts should never have gotten funded, but they did ... because they followed the rules and process.

But guess what, thanks to social media and technology the challenges for independents can be minimized, it just depends on their plan. They still need to get someone to guide them, or they will be wasting a lot of time begging someone to work for them for free. Also, they need a game plan that includes more than one project just in case the script they have, no one wants.

Everyone I know on the creative side has had a project passed on at some point, some more than others and I’m talking big name producers and stars in this industry. But they're all rich because they found a way to make things happen. I know independents that are in this category. They find ways to make it happen. 

• Elyse:  How can independents contact people like you, and do most investors think like you? ​

• Syd: You’re funny. What did I just tell you? If you play by the rules, you can find anyone in this room. If you don’t, you won’t.

As for do most investors think like me. Hell no! But those that don’t, tend to lose a lot of money. Nearly everyone in here makes decisions based on a variety of factors that are specific to what they’re looking for. So, I have no f**king clue what everyone else thinks, but I do know, if you show up here holding only a script … drink quickly, because security will be escorting you out.

Please Note: Although Syd and other investors in his group, contact Susan, for their development and production needs, you don't have to. As Syd said there are lots of options for you to choose from .... you just need to find one that works for you.

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Elyse, Producer

BSI Films