A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay…
What is a screenplay on spec?
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio.
Spec scripts which have gone on to win Academy Awards include Thelma & Louise (sold by Callie Khouri to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for US$500,000 in 1990), Good Will Hunting (sold by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to Miramax for US$675,000 in 1994) and American Beauty (sold by Alan Ball to DreamWorks Pictures for US$250,000 in 1998), which all won Best Original Screenplay.
A spec script reads differently from a shooting script or a production script in that there is more focus on the story itself while focus on camera movements and other directing aspects should be rarely, if ever, used. Camera directions and technical directions are often added in the later drafts. The sole purpose of a spec script, also known as the selling script, is to showcase a screenwriter’s talent at telling a story through action and dialogue.
Spec scripts are often written by unknown screenwriters looking to prove their storytelling ability and make a name for themselves in the film industry.
“I’m Writing a What?”: A Screenplay on Spec
Unless you are preparing a shooting script for a film that’s in the works, what you are writing is a “screenplay on spec”—a screenplay that hasn’t been commissioned. You are submitting it unsolicited in the hope that the producers will be impressed by your writing and the idea, and will make you an offer for your screenplay. Or you may submit it to an agent, who’ll meet with producers on your behalf.
Screenwriter Beware!
Since you are doing this on spec…
Since you are doing this on spec, some semblance of backstory is needed so the reader has a general idea of how things came to be. So my goal is to help you create what I call a hybrid. It is neither a premise pilot nor a typical episode, but both.
Your spec pilot will contain a little of how the fictional world of the series came to be and a lot of what a typical episode will entail.
The nice thing about writing your pilot on spec is, it’s all yours. You can execute it anyway you want. Nobody can tell you how to do it. You get first crack at it. It’s your original piece of work. Whether it will be a success or not, who knows? But look at the success rate the experts are getting.
There are lots of elements that make a television series successful. Only one is the script. There’s also casting, time slot, lead-in, marketing, etc. All critically important elements, over which you have absolutely no control. But a great pilot script is what you, as a writer, have total control over. And it is a surefire start.
It’s a great showcase. A reflection of you — your taste, style and persona.
The most fun I have writing and the best chance I have of getting anything done or looked at, is to be as original as possible. It doesn’t have to be ‘high art’ — sophomoric comedy is perfectly acceptable — as long as it’s funny.
I love experimenting with various genres and ways to execute the same idea, the same story, as in the movie Memento.
My mantra these days, which I keep on my wall and would like to impart to you, is:
The first rule is . . . There Are No Rules!