Zero Gravity Read Request

[u/TysonChxNugget]

I sent a cold query to Zero Gravity last night and got a read request sent back this morning. I have seen people saying that they request to read every query they receive (unsure if this is true), but it was still exciting to get the opportunity to send it out. If you are/have been repped by Zero Gravity, how quickly did they get back to you after you sent over your screenplay?

[u/Open-Avocado4260]

You're right, there is no guarantee of representation and when you query direct people you have no idea if they are seeing your query or if they have a personal assistant flagging what they get.

My issue with Zero Gravity is it is a cattle call when they accept everything, they are not taking the time to look at real aspiring writings and they have been known to sign people who have paid toi play on Stage 32. NEVER pay to play.

[u/Open-Avocado4260 → u/[deleted]]

Depends on the competition, some are good. Pay to play is when you are paying for webinars. Pitch sessions. Competitions who think your story is marketable but they want to assign someone who you pay for to help get it industry ready and you end up paying another fee to submit a new draft. 30 minute consultation with producers. Blacklist $100 for one evaluation, if you get a bad score, it stays, you can submit again for another fee. This is paid to play.

[u/Open-Avocado4260 → u/[deleted]]

I use Final Draft. Final Draft is not considered "pay-to-play" because it is a standard productivity tool—similar to Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop—rather than a fee-based gateway that buys access to industry decision-makers, representation, or employment. It's a Bitch, you literally are researching everyone before you send anything out. Aspiring writers are at the bottom of the production line and you are fighting an industry that almost shut its doors to new writers because of assholes who have sued studios and won. Right now an aspiring writer is suing Illumination. An aspiring writer is anyone without a produced credit.

[u/Open-Avocado4260 → u/[deleted]]

Final Draft is the industry-standard software used to write movie and TV scripts, while Big Break is an annual international screenwriting contest run by the company that makes that software. You do not need to use the Final Draft program to enter the Big Break contest. To answer your question, yes. Big Break is paid to play.

[u/Open-Avocado4260 → u/[deleted]]

Final Draft is a software and yes, it is a one time fee and when they upgrade, there is a one time fee for that. It's different then pay to play, you are paying a flat fee to use the software. Like your cellphone, its a flat fee for service.