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How to Submit Your Screenplay
[ UPDATED JANUARY 2016 ]
In the year 2000, Embryo Films began seeking unsolicited screenplays. Within 6 months, we had a stack so high it would be impossible to read everything. Fortunately, we quickly discovered that we could determine if something wasn't viable within the first 5 pages.
As we continued searching, we learned that we could tell if it wasn't right for us by looking at nothing more than the logline. We tested this theory by making a determination based solely on the logline, and then reading the screenplay anyway — to see if it matched our initial instinct. It did without fail. Every time. Always.
So we changed our submissions procedure to accept loglines only. Over the past decade, we have received over 25,000 submissions. When we found great loglines, we requested the synopsis. If we liked the synopsis, we requested the screenplay. This resulted in reading over 4,000 synopses and 2,000 screenplays. But somewhere along way, projects would always go out of alignment with our needs. In all that time, we found less than 20 suitable projects, and each of them was optioned elsewhere by the time we found it.
Searching for a better way, Jeff spent 10 years developing FAST Screenplay, and then 6 years building it. We made 4 videos in The Producer's Perspective video series to help writers master the process and understand what's missing in the screenwriting world, and are currently working on a 4-part video series that highlights what's wrong with 99% of submissions.
Effective February 2011, we stopped actively seeking screenplays through this site (and we plan to discontinue unsolicited submissions entirely when the new 4-part video series has been released). We anticipate that our future projects will be generated exclusively by writers using the FAST Screenplay system.
However, we are constantly searching for projects that are aligned with our goals and objectives, and just because 25,000 others weren't aligned with our needs, doesn't mean yours isn't. So we welcome you to submit your project to us through the following submissions procedure if you think it's a perfect match for us.
We commend you on your screenwriting efforts. We know the months (and years) of work it takes to write extraordinary production-ready material. It's not always an easy road. But we assure you, real producers will always be looking for great material — because the movie doesn't get made until the screenplay gets written. We wish you success, and even if your project is not aligned with our needs, we hope you will continue your search to find the producer with whom your project is aligned.
PLEASE NOTE: If you send a script we haven't requested (by email or post), it will be discarded unread, and will NOT be returned. Please submit EXACTLY as instructed. Thanks!
