This article delves into the behind-the-scenes experiences of the directors and editors of ‘The Last Guest Of The Holloway Motel’, shedding light on the challenges and insights of the film industry.
Always Read The Fine Print
Yesterday, I received an email from a reader asking me to investigate Get It Made. I found it intriguing that it had a name so similar to another site I had previously reviewed, so I wanted to assist the reader.
Sometimes I can be nice, I promise.
They requested I look into a few other sites, but I haven’t had the time. Mainly because when I started with Get It Made, I became so frustrated that I had to take a walk.
Here are the basics: Get It Made is a pay-to-play website that requires writers to pay a one-time fee of $149 for their work to be reviewed. If deemed worthy, they then charge $99 a month.
So, you’re looking at about $1350 for a year of service. What do you get in return?
Well, there are absolutely no guarantees.
All I can find is that you might gain access to producers who will read your script. Perhaps they will set it up. Maybe they will sell it. But you are paying a hefty price for that access.
They also claim to offer development services and work closely with writers, but again, there are no specific details about what you receive in return, just a FAQ page stating that if you pay for access, they may be able to assist you.
Theoretically, I suppose you’re getting feedback on drafts?
On their homepage, they highlight one project they set up—possibly in collaboration with Sean Baker, but that’s not confirmed, and there’s no quote from Baker on their site, so I’m unsure he even knows they’re using his name.
The Worst Part
I delved into the terms and conditions section of the website—the part no one reads. I went there because the person who emailed me suggested it. And wow, did I feel like McNulty and Bunk in The Wire.
Here’s what I uncovered in the third bullet point under “OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS; RESTRICTIONS.”
“1. For as long as you are a user and for two (2) years after you cease to be a user, you agree to refrain from soliciting, initiating, facilitating, or engaging in a professional association or interaction with an Industry Professional or other user regarding any project or endeavor that GIM would typically be involved with as part of its usual business operations (i.e., an independent film, series, or other creative projects) without GIM’s involvement. An ‘Industry Professional or other user’ is defined as any contributor to or user of GIM to whom you were introduced via GIM or with whom you worked while a user on a GIM project; for clarity, Industry Professionals are also users for the purposes of these Terms. You agree that such associations and/or interactions during this period shall occur with GIM’s meaningful involvement on no less favorable terms than GIM would have with a similar creative project. Furthermore, you expressly undertake not to engage in data scraping, extraction, or any other methodologies aimed at procuring contact information for the explicit purpose of initiating communication with an Industry Professional outside the confines of GIM.”
Yes, that’s a tedious read. But after consulting with a lawyer (who wishes to remain anonymous), he informed me that it resembles a two-year blanket first look/noncompete.
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This means you are paying THEM to OWN the work YOU created.
How does that make any sense?
So, if you attempt to set this script up without them or meet someone at a party who wants to produce it, you cannot because you’ve made Get It Made legal producers on the project by paying them.
That’s incredibly exploitative. It feels like a scam to me.
Hollywood Sucks, But This Is Worse
As I mentioned earlier, breaking into Hollywood is incredibly challenging. But they call it breaking in because you’re supposed to network and work your way in, not buy your way in.
Come here, get a job, make friends, and do it the traditional way. If you’re older or this is a side gig, attend a film festival once a year and try to connect with people there. Perhaps consider The Black List; at least you can track what you get for paying them.
What I observe from Get It Made is standard charlatan behavior. If you’re paying for access, it’s fundamentally wrong. It’s so shady and exploitative. Essentially, someone saying, “I think you’re so close, just keep giving me cash, and then I’ll help you get this project made,” is one of the most distasteful things I’ve seen exploiting people with dreams.
If they genuinely believed in the project, they’d work on it for free! Or they would PAY YOU.
This is the standard Hope Machine cycle that frustrates me and compels me to call these things out.
This life is tough enough. Save your money.
You can share your thoughts in the comments.
