In today’s Hollywood, just having bare specs and a pitch feels like you’re out of luck. If you’re selling an idea or a screenplay, you’ve probably heard that the best way to get it to market is through packaging. And that has only been highlighted by recent events in the industry.
Today I would like to think about packaging.
We’ll also explain what it means, the strategy behind it, and the grievances that come with territory.
So let’s dive in.
What is packaging in Hollywood?
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’
disney
In Hollywood, packaging refers to how a project (usually a movie or TV show script) is assembled before it is sold to a studio or production company.
- A strong package includes elements such as:
- Script (the most important part)
- Affiliated talent (actor, director, producer)
Why packaging can help you sell your scripts
‘Seven’
Columbia
Imagine a crowded marketplace with thousands of scripts vying for attention.
Breaking through the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood spec market requires more than just having a great idea. Talent and director attachments are necessary for studios to understand the finished product and its marketability.
Here’s why packaging is useful:
- Reduce risk: To studios and producers, a well-written script suggests a level of professionalism and potential for success. Having talented people shows that there is already interest in the project, which reduces the financial stakes.
- to attract attention: In a crowded specification market, packaging helps your script stand out. Having a role considered by a respected actor or director indicates both quality and potential marketability.
- Increase reliability: For new screenwriters, packaging indicates that you have a great script that people want to act on, and that is vouched for by people with more connections.
- Simplify your transactions: Packaged projects can be “sold” as a whole. This is often easier than getting studios to agree to separate scripts, talent, etc. in separate contracts.
Why has packaging become so important?
“Toy Story 3”
disney
Currently, packaging is popular because it completely relieves studios and production companies of the burden of taking on a project.
Rather than superficially assessing a screenplay’s marketability, you can look at a project that has all the elements and decide whether it’s worth the expense.
We don’t have to risk assembling all these elements ourselves, we can just say yes or no to what’s in front of us.
It used to be that you would submit a bare spec, and these executives would help create a package that the studio would approve. But it offered a package that the studio probably didn’t like and posed a risk to executives who could be fired.
Currently, all the burden of packaging falls on the writer and their contact or the producer who takes on the spec. They bring everyone’s names to the studio and hope that the assembled members like it.
Impact of this packaging situation
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
Credit: Provided by WB Pictures
We live in really, really tough times for writers. On the functionality side, the current state of packaging is not really sustainable as the OWA market (free writing assignments) has collapsed significantly and not only is the spec market bad, but you absolutely need a complete package to sell. there is no.
The best case right now is to write a great script, get a producer, get notes, get a director, get notes, get talent, get notes, and do this process for free for over a year. After that…I hope someone buys it.
Making this even worse is the fact that critical cast numbers are at an all-time low for the studio, as there are really, really few stars left. That means they need to come up with millions of dollars to make a movie.
In addition to this, many actors and directors won’t read scripts that don’t have financing. And to get the funding behind it, it has to come with actors and a director.
It’s the figure eight that writers exalt…well…you know.
Is there a bright side to this?
not much. This model is likely to stick around unless a generation of hard-working studio executives want to package it themselves and spark a spec boom. Studios shy away from most risks, even if it seriously upsets the balance of what made Hollywood great.
Still, the best way to break into Hollywood is to keep writing specs. This is because specifications are a lottery that brings you money and opportunities if you make money.
Success in the spec market is about more than just writing a great script. It’s about building a compelling vision that inspires others to join you on the journey.
Let’s hope this situation improves soon.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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