Yesterday I took $60 and uploaded the script, logline, synopsis and a bio for six months on INKTIP.COM. For the price and length of exposure, I figure it's better than paying an entry fee for a writing contest or two where the odds are just the same.
Inktip now requires a hand-signed contract so I printed theirs and faxed it back. They were quick to approve everything, after my upload it was stamped "pending review" and that went just as quick.
Before I knew it, names of production companies were appearing in my "viewed by" section. But wait a minute, there's a catch -- this doesn't mean they READ your logline, it means that it appeared on a page when they did a search. The same goes for the synopsis, it was "made available", but you don't know if they read it. As for the script, IF there's a download, yes, that is logged, you know it.
Okay, fine, good and dandy, it's just exciting knowing the title appeared anywhere besides my laptop. And it's a lotto, come on, that's half the fun, anticipating hitting it big.
Inktip claims to do "background checks" on the production companies that are subscribers, and when you look at the list there are some big names, like every entity of "FOX". Very cool. Whenever a name appears on the list you naturally hit the Google and IMDB, I did. Within hours I had four names to research.
One prodco puts out a film every few years, had a respectable IMDB listing. One was definitely a brand new company. Another quite rocked, on an international level. And then appeared --
L.A. Feature Film Academy
Hmm. I googled to find it's a film school. They're looking for screenwriters to teach the craft, so maybe that is why they have access? It didn't take long before I was reading very negative posts about this "academy", from their lack of professionalism to their exorbitant class costs and how graduates felt they had been cheated.
For the moment, I'll hold off on contacting inktip to ask about this company and why they are allowed to troll the site. BUT, dare I get one offer, one email, snail-mail brochure about a film school, and I'm going off. I didn't pay $60 to give up my contact for a dubious fake school.
Other than that, my inktip experience is what I expected, so I would endorse it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Keep us posted on your experience with Inktip ;) I think I'll try it, too. Those screenwriting competitions I entered suddenly seem kinda odd to me.
ReplyDeleteI read a bad post about "Fade In" magazine, where they refused to give their competition winner the $750 prize. She sued in small claims court and won, but still.
ReplyDelete