Part XLII- The IMdb Profile

Recently, I read a post here on LinkedIn from a screenwriter advertising a competition win with "Best Screenplay". I thought "how fantastic", and wanted to learn more about the screenplay and the writer.

First, the post merely had laurel leaves with the words "Best Screenplay Winner", but no indication of the contest- at all. There wasn't even a screenplay title. I thought that was pretty strange, so I went to this person's IMdb.

Here's where it got interesting...

This writer had over forty or so screenwriting "credits" ranging from 2017-2021. Of those forty or so titles, thirty-five were from 2021. This person kept busy.

Of those forty titles, every single one was listed as being in "pre-production". Huh?

Every one of them was a "short", which, personally, means nothing to me. I'm not in the "short" game. I don't write them, I don't film them. To me, they are for people who cannot write a feature length story. Might as well write poetry for a living.

I was very curious as to who was doing all of this "production" work. Well, it appears that on many of the title credits, this writer shares credits with two other people. On some titles, it's one of of the partners; on others, it's another partner. When you follow the production line, on the titles with the one partner, the OTHER partner is listed as the producer. On the titles with the OTHER writing partner, the THIRD person is listed as a producer. Basically, it's three individuals, sharing and rotating credits for all forty or so titles. They are all listed as writers and all listed as producers. It just doesn't seem like they're "producing" much of anything. If they are, they can't be much more than five minute films. They don't appear to be entered in any film festivals, as of yet.

The screenwriting competitions that have been entered- and won (which seems to be many of them)- are far from top or second-tier contests. I have been involved in the contest world for ten years now, and of the forty or so competitions listed by this writer, I've heard of one. One.

What's the point in telling you all this? Some people put a lot of stock into IMdb. At one time, it was THE database for actors and crew to get recognized. Not so much now, but I still use it for research. In all honesty, I don't know how things are posted or what gets them posted; I used to do it in the past, but haven't kept up with it at all. I have three produced films that aren't even listed on IMdb- but they are on Amazon Prime, which, IMO, is a bit more important.

The other point is that industry people can see right through these sort of profiles. This writer certainly knows how to self-market and knows how to create an impressive picture. If you're into "buying" shorts, filming shorts, and showing shorts at a film festival, you either already know this person, or have worked with this person. If you haven't, you certainly should. This writer has material for weeks.

Quality? Hard to say. I would be more impressed if a Top Ten competition had recognized one of the screenplays; even a Top Fifty contest. I'd be less "intrigued" if I didn't see forty titles in "pre-production"- the catch-all, which in these cases, means absolutely nothing.

I guess my real point is people like this aren't really fooling anyone. I think they're actually doing harm to their own reputation. I would re-think this strategy, come back to Earth, and get real with you accomplishments. If you want to be, essentially, a bottom-feeder regarding contests and marketing yourself to the point of hysterics, that's your choice. It just seems to me that, with as much energy and knowledge, you might want to step up your game, start writing features, and get THOSE produced and entered into film festivals and screenplay contests. That's when you'll truly get noticed.

THIS WEEK'S PROMO- The Script Mentor Membership

We are now offering LIFETIME membership into The Script Mentor organization for 66% off it's original cost. For the small price of $399.99, you can become a lifetime member of The Script Mentor family, which includes one-on-one mentoring with you and your screenplay- this one, the next one and the tenth one down the line. We will continue to work with you throughout your screenwriting career, offering assistance with concepts, loglines, story, formatting, networking and marketing.

Contact us today for an invoice. If a payment schedule would make it easier for you to join us, we'd be happy to make those arrangements for you. Just contact us today at thescriptmentor@hotmail.com.

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community, and was the Executive Director for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, as well as The Soul Train Awards, The Grammys, The Blockbuster Video Awards Show and The Saturn Award Show. He recently completed the screenplay adaptation of the novel "Making Broken Beautiful" by Pamela Millican-Hartnoll; a tragic story of excessive abuse and redemptive success. Currently, he is working on the fascinating autobiographical adaptation of "Call Me Zena", by Sally Barnard who, after a brief illness, began experiencing intergalactic travels while also developing high-level artistic skills overnight!

Most recently, Mr. Scala has been hired as the executive script consultant on a major feature film scheduled for filming in August, 2021. He is also developing the screenplay adaptations of rock pioneer Jimmie F. Rodgers, Motown star Tammi Terrell and iconic folk singer Harry Chapin- all while continuing to mentor new writers and self-published authors. Geno has two screenplays produced into feature films; "Assassin 33 A.D."  and "The Tombs". Both are currently available on Amazon Prime.