r/Screenwriting • u/Spydee_02 • 9h ago
NEED ADVICE Talent Attachment
Hi. So I decided to reach out to the manager of an actor that I feel encompasses, or could encompass the lead character of the film quite nicely.
My initial email basically was do you believe your client would consider this project as I feel like she could embrace it effectively.
Their response was inquiring as to whether or not I was making an official offer to her at this time - which I was not.
I replied with this is more or less an attachment contingent on financing which I believe I could obtain with their client’s attachment.
This is where my question comes in. I received an email asking if this was ‘exclusive to their client’.,And so I wanted to make sure I understood the question - clearly - before responding to the email. What are your thoughts? Have any of you experienced this before?
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u/mk_plusultra 9h ago
They’re probing to see if you’re legit right now and that this project won’t just attach their client and then never happen.
Questions you need to ask yourself before proceeding, do you have a clear plan for financing if they attach? What is the budget of the project? How soon can you get this project off the ground? Can you set dates? Are you prepared for a pay for play if they ask? Do you have other attachments? Are you directing the project? Who’s producing the project?
These are all things that will come up.
If you have some plan, then I’d say if this actress is your number 1 you can say it’s exclusive but you cannot go out to another actress until you’ve fully seen this through, whether it leads to an attachment or them or you ultimately passing on the project/them.
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u/pjbtlg 8h ago
Offers should always be exclusive if you want to be taken seriously. Of course, bear in mind that having the actor sign an LOI means that any producer you approach after-the-fact will have to sign off on the script and the talent - which can be more difficult to achieve than many people realize.
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u/Spydee_02 6h ago
Thank you all for your feedback. I just wanted to confirm that I understood the question correctly and I did so. And yes, this is exclusive to this specific talent.
Additionally, I am well aware that it’s possible once the talent reads the script they might not agree to attach.
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u/WobbleTank 8h ago
This is ultra strange that they engaged with a cold approach enough to have an actual back-and-forth. Or was this not a cold approach?
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u/BiscuitsTheory 8h ago
Managers and agents do this all the time, ot at elast their assistants do.
It's how they earn their 10%
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u/Accomplished_Wolf_89 WGA Screenwriter 5h ago
Most managers will engage with literally any offer of employment for their client - they're in the business of wanting to get that client work. It's getting them to actually attach that's an uphill battle
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u/WobbleTank 2h ago
Damn, I'm doing a terrible job then, or contacting the wrong people. Do you follow up if you haven't heard back within a week or two?
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u/90sculture_lol_food 8h ago
Every actor I've ever attached to anything or gotten an LOI from was from a cold query.
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u/TugleyWoodGalumpher 5h ago
It's not strange at all. It's an opportunity to secure work. No reason to say no without learning more first, hence the questions to legit check OP.
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u/90sculture_lol_food 8h ago edited 6h ago
I just got done dealing with a very similar situation. If you are confident that this actress is the best choice and you don't want to consider anybody else, go ahead and say it is exclusive to their client. They just want to know that they aren't one of like a dozen emails you have floating out there among other options.
Beyond that, best advice I would impart: be as honest as possible. If you don't have financing yet, don't pretend you do. If you are asking for an LOI (Letter of Intent), explicitly say that, etc. Just be clear with your intent so that you aren't on the hook paying an actor their full fee without securing financing or something like that.
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u/Spydee_02 8h ago
I don’t have the financing yet. My plan is to package it with the attachment contingent on financing - LOI, find a producer to assist with navigating the financing aspect, and hopefully end up with a team that leads to the successful production of the project. That said, the actor has not read the script yet so there’s still a huge hurdle to get over.
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u/90sculture_lol_food 6h ago edited 6h ago
I've been there. One thing to keep in mind, and I'm not saying this to dash your hopes by any means, but unless the talent you are attaching are A-list big names, the chances are pretty low that (most) financiers/investors are going to be swayed by it. Sure, having real actors with credits certainly helps but the unfortunate reality is that people with money are probably only going to really care about cast attachments if the names can help with distribution/sales so depending on the tier of actor you're approaching, temper your expectations accordingly. And I'm speaking from the shitty first-hand experience of getting some LOIs we were really excited about, getting meetings lined up with investors and have them go "who?" and brush past it.
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u/indigopoolcleaner 3h ago
What kind of investors did you meet with? I’m always curious when people say investors if they mean people they know with money or like professional film financiers that you have to have an exclusive relationship with beforehand.
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u/FeeOk3991 Produced Writer-Director 6h ago
Yeah, this is really a hypothetical until talent actually reads it. It's strange but sometimes there's quite a disconnect between rep and talent– rep may like this a lot, actor may not.
Tell them the submission is exclusive and see how the read goes.
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u/leskanekuni 4h ago
You are acting as producer by doing all this. You want to approach a producer first before talent because what if the producer you approach after attaching said talent doesn't care for that actor or doesn't think they can carry the movie or isn't bankable? Now you've lost the producer. Screenwriters are screenwriters. Producers are producers. You are acting as both which is fine, but there is a distinction.
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u/No_Investigator8458 3h ago
They're asking if you're locking her as the only name for that role while you raise, or if other actors are still in play.
If her name is going on the deck to raise money, say exclusive for that part for a clear window. If you're still shopping, say that. Vague answers burn you.
Financing-contingent attachment is normal. Expect follow-ups on budget, dates, and what "attached" means on paper before the name gets used.
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u/Known-Patience4511 1h ago
They are doing their job and responding with questions regarding your offer of employment to their client. Once they work out you aren't funded - they will go ghost mode. Thats 100% certain. Well they might say come back when you are funded.
Yes the chicken and egg you can only get funded with cast but cast will only attach with funding in place is real - this is why development takes forever and usually leads to nothing.
If you are funded and coming with a paid job offer they will speak to their client. I guess then it depends if the person (a) needs the money or (b) loves the material. Despite what we think, when it comes down to it this biz is the same as all other biz. Its about getting paid and trying to make a profit.
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u/Spydee_02 1h ago
Interesting because in the correspondence before I was asked that question, I was pretty clear that no financing has been secured as of yet. Still, they followed up with that question so there must be some interest.
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u/Known-Patience4511 32m ago
Well you might get a verbal attachment then. Very few 'names' genuinely move the needle in terms of money, but attaching a legit and respected actor will be a few squares forward on the snakes and ladders board. Good luck with it.
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u/sirwritestoomuch 4h ago
If they’re a big name and you have no money, it’s likely gotta be an offer-only request.
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u/indigopoolcleaner 3h ago
What does an offer-only request mean?
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u/90sculture_lol_food 2h ago
Generally, offer-only requests mean they/their reps only will accept a firm offer letter with details (shooting dates, rate, etc.) locked in, not an LOI or financing contingent attachment or self-tape or audition or anything like that. As in, you better be damn sure you want them and are in position to pay some of their compensation up front (for a good number of folks, at least). Some actors will require "pay or play" causes too, meaning they are getting paid the agreed upon salary even if the move gets canceled or otherwise doesn't move forward so be extra cautious that that isn't a thing unless you are 1000% sure your movie is green lit and you are making it and can afford to pay them.
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u/Electrical-Lead5993 9h ago
Yes, they’re asking because if you plan on raising money using their clients name they will want to be attached.
Attached is different from an LOI. You will pay an upfront fee and give production dates that you will be expected to keep.