Current
We are not accepting any more screenplays until further notice. We have enough screenplays to work with at this time so we will be focusing on the ones we have. Thank you for your submissions and belief in us.
You can read the below as background history to see how this new paradigm has been developing over the years.
Overview
Because we are steadily growing and polishing this new business paradigm, portions of this site have been revised as of 28 October 2003, 25 March 2003, 20 November 2002, 11 February 2002, 11 January 2001, 28 November 2000 30 October 2000 and 10 March 2000, so please re-read this even if you have been here before. Your comments are always welcome and will be integrated into the overall program.
As of 20 November 2001, dNa DevelopMent will specialize in science fiction features, broad based subjects and documentaries (dealing with important subjects relating to science, technology, banking and government).
Emphasis will be placed on features and documentaries that promote the colonization of Mars and the Solar System as well as the emergence of human society as a spacefaring species.
We are also particularly interested in screenplays set in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties.
We have now processed all Screenplays submitted prior to June 30, 2003 and figured out
what ANOTHER one of the MAJOR bottlenecks was so hopefully we will take even less time to get things
done in the future. Here's one of the bottlenecks: Some of you are still sending in screenplays in
a) improper format and b) saved in other than the required text files. The Option Agreement is now
designed to take your entire screenplay when copied and pasted into the field provided.
If your screenplay has been converted to a text file with the proper format, it will paste into the
form in the correct format. IF IT WAS NOT CONVERTED TO A TEXT FILE WITH THE PROPER FORMAT, IT
WILL NOT LOOK CORRECT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT IN THE FIELD INTO WHICH YOU JUST PASTED IT. Thus you will
have to go to the help page we provide and figure out why your screenplay is not in the proper text format.
I know this is all a pain in the butt. Call or write Bill Gates at Microsoft and demand that he
re-write MS WORD to properly retain screenplay format when pasted to a text editor.
When we get screenplays that are not in the proper format it preempts our time, making it a
longer wait for the writers who DO send the proper file-formats.
So PLEASE keep this in mind when you are about to
write us an email demanding to know if your screenplay has been accepted. (We are under no obligation to
accept your option and we reserve the right to terminate the option). Thus, as a new policy,
if you send us a screenplay that we cannot open as a properly formatted text file two (2) times, the
next time you re-submit this screenplay, IF you re-submit, we have to REQUIRE that you submit it
to us as a TEXT file converted from Scripware file. . . and we will totally ignore you unless you do, so be forwarned. So, yes, this means
you will have to go out to Scriptware, take out your credit
card. . . and shell out some cash for their software (and no, WE don't get anything out of this, except
properly formated files eventually). This is an expense you should be more than willing to incure if
you are a serious screenwriter . . . and you will probably love Scriptware as soon as you are finished
cursing us.
Now on to the meat of this site. . .
We have been piloting the digital submission and evaluation of screenplays over the Net for a number
of years now and for many years prior as pain-in-the-neck hard copies. If you have been a part of
this, we sincerely thank you for your help and your
continued
In order to address the above factors, the most significant change dNa DevelopMent is
making in its submission/acquisitions process is it is automatically accepting
a non-exclusive option on all screenplays submitted that
are Properly Formatted and
meet certain Guidelines.
Prior to 10 March 2000, a number of you have submitted screenplays on an EXCLUSIVE basis convertible to
NON-exclusive. We have realized that in order to make this work, simplicity is better. . . thus
the change to NON-exclusive (convertible to exclusive with certain payments). The deal is still
basically the same, but if this presents a problem for you please contact us and we'll give you a new Option Agreement to reflect the changes. Keep in mind that there will probably be other changes (such as the term has been increased), but each change is done with the sole intention of getting your work made or sold to a studio or other financing/packaging/financing/production entity.
The sooner you give us your legal "okay" to package, finance, purchase or sell your screenplay, the sooner
everybody may win. Therefore, when you submit a screenplay, you will be automatically doing the following:
By submitting your Screenplay you agree to exercise our Option Agreement so we can immediately
begin to produce, sell, package, finance/sell the option and/or promote your screenplay as
a motion picture. Otherwise, all the time we are "evaluating" your literary property to "see if" we want
to option it is time completely wasted. You lose, we lose. It can take 90 days just to do the evaluation
and another 90 days to negotiate an option/literary purchase agreement. Again, this is all wasted time
for you and for us.
Therefore, the minute you submit a screenplay, you grant us your okay to get started.
We are not guaranteeing that we will accept the Option or that we will be successful, we are only claiming that we will lose less
time under this new submission policy.
Since your option to us is non-exclusive, you will not be inhibited from simultaneously promoting your screenplay to others on your own. There will be no conflicts of interest in the market place because we can both promote your screenplay under the separate titles you have authorized. The reason for this is to circumnavigate two of the above observations we have made about the Film Industry:
The only way your screenplay can be continuously rejected by the same studio is if it is logged into their data base under the same name or title each
time it is submitted. Even though it may be a great screenplay, if one sour Reader gives it bad coverage - you are dead at that studio until possibly
ALL the screenplays are placed into turnaround with another studio. There was a terrific article
in WIRED magazine discussing the discovery of the studios' inner-circle chat system where screenplays
are made hot or blackballed. Of course this is extremely embarrassing to the industry who have always
promoted a "level playing field."
Once you grant us the option, we will not discontinue evaluating the screenplay. Our Readers will
continuously give us their Reader Reports and this is how we will know which optioned literary property to focus the most attention on. I know this is not exactly what you as a submitting Writer want to hear, but we DO have to be fair to all the screenplays that we have under option. This process will ensure that, if your
screenplay IS good, our Readers will continuously be reinforcing that fact and this will motivate us
to work even harder with your property. On the other hand if your screenplay needs work, we
can give you that feedback and you can always re-submit under a different title and pseudonym to us.
We ask for no different treatment than we would subject others to.
Lastly, a number of writers have been re-writing their scripts and re-submitting updated versions. This is extremely commendable because our observation is that these screenplays keep getting better and better, more developed and polished. To the degree this happens the overall quality of screenplays we have in our arsenal improves. Our "arsenal" is 100 screenplays. Everytime a "better" screenplay comes along, it goes into the arsenal and then one screenplay pops out. It's subtle competition for you, a slight kick in the butt to do your best work and keep it current, but nothing drastic. Our theory is: a studio or major talent can ignore one (1) screenplay or even 10, but it is much more difficult to ignore 100 screenplays, screenplays that are coming from relatively undiscovered writing talents and screenplays that are constantly getting better under the slight musical-chairs pressure of those cued up and popped out of our "arsenal."
We have given you some background on the challenges we hope to meet head-on and why we have come to the conclusions we have. Again, we are piloting something new here.
BACKGROUND HISTORY
Observations
New Submission Policy
Non-Exclusive Option
We have found that both Producer A and Producer B can submit the same screenplay to the same studio, star or major
production company under two different titles and pseudonyms and the entity will purchase a screenplay
from Producer A while rejecting the same screenplay from Producer B, saying that "this project does not meet our
development requirements and we hope you find a home for it elsewhere. Thank you for thinking of us."
A classic example of this phenomenon was illustrated when the screenplay for CASABLANCA was re-titled and submitted to several studios.
All of them rejected it saying that "it needed more character development." Thus:
Evaluation & Promotion Priorities
Submission Details
| What's New |
Overview |
Virtual Studio |
| Bookstore |
Professional Services |
Useful Information |
| Employment |
In-Development |
Script Submissions |
| Script Reading |
Website Development |
Non-Linear Editing |
| Film Distribution |
Discussion Den |
Contact MEC |
| Lee Garmes Cinema Institute |
dNa DevelopMent is a trade marked business process
www.mecfilms.com/dna
(800) 576-2001