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Hi! My name is Michael Aimette. I wrote the script "Turning Green" which was a Top 30 finalist on PGL. After the contest ended, I began revisions to the script that I thought were necessary -- thanks in large part to the comments, suggestions and critiques of the PGL community. After a few months, I felt I had a finished script and could shop it around. In the meantime, I decided to partner with my best friend who helped me craft the final draft, a freelance producer/director named John Hofmann. Together, we started a production company called Five Point Films with the intention of writing/directing a few short films together. We figured it would help prepare us to direct our first feature. That quickly changed when I started getting such positive feedback on the newest "Turning Green" script.
At first, the way I got my script read was via my job. Since I work as a
writer at an advertising agency, I had many friends in the business that might
help, primarily producers and directors. All of them had different ideas
about how to get a script noticed or how to improve it. Finally, through
sheer luck, the script was discovered by two producers, who were aggressively
looking for what they considered interesting scripts. Mine was fortunately
among those they considered. They purchased an option on the film, with the
contingency that John Hofmann and myself would direct it. They sent
it along to an entertainment lawyer who then forwarded it with his
recommendation to the William Morris Agency. After flying to Los Angeles, we
were signed. Aside from being wildly excited, we quickly realized how much
work we still have to do. Currently, we are looking for the best possible
avenue to getting the film produced - whether it should be funded
independently or via a studio. We've been constantly working with our
producers, lawyer and agent and have been learning so much about the complex
process of making a movie. From budgets to casting to editing to shooting
days, we've learned so much. Hopefully, we'll continue to be overwhelmed
until the day we see our film on a movie screen.
My advice to anyone trying to get their script sold or, in the best case,
turned into an actual film, is to keep working. There's always a way to make
your script better. Secondly, never take anyone's criticism too strongly. It
doesn't matter if 1,000 people hate your script, keep trying. (Just don't
become a stalker. No one likes those.) All it takes is one person to say,
"yes" to get you signed to an agent or a manager or to sell the script. No
one knows how many people rejected "Being John Malkovich," for example.
Thanks for listening!
michael
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