Crafty Table: Why Great Scripts Still Don't Sell

Every producer has heard some version of the same sentence: "But it's a great script." Sometimes it really is. Sometimes it's one of the best screenplays I've read all year. And yet, I and others still pass.

That doesn't mean the screenplay isn't exceptional. It means I'm asking a different question than most writers assume. A screenplay doesn't sell because it's well written. It sells because someone can see a path to selling the finished film. That distinction has become more important than ever.

The Difference Between a Great Read and a Great Investment

Imagine two projects land on my desk on the same day. The first is beautifully written. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are unforgettable, and by the final page I'm convinced the writer has genuine talent.

The second screenplay isn't quite as good. It's still well written, but not exceptional. However, within thirty seconds of hearing the logline, I already know who the audience is. I can think of multiple buyers. I have a realistic sense of the budget. I know which actors could elevate it, and I can already picture the poster.

Which project do I pursue?

The second one—every time.

That answer surprises many filmmakers because they assume producers are searching for the "best" screenplay. Most aren't. They're searching for the project with the highest probability of becoming a successful business.

Time Is the One Resource You Can't Scale

At S&R, we're often developing half a dozen or more projects simultaneously. Like every producer, we have limited time, and unlike money, time can't be raised, borrowed, or replenished. Every hour spent developing one project is an hour we're not spending on another.

That means we have to make difficult decisions every day about where our attention goes. Could an extraordinary screenplay eventually become an award-winning film? Absolutely. Could that same screenplay require years of packaging before anyone agrees to finance it? Also yes.

Meanwhile, another project with a slightly less impressive screenplay but far clearer commercial positioning may reach the marketplace years sooner and generate meaningful returns for everyone involved. That isn't a judgment on artistic quality; it's simply the reality of allocating limited time where it has the highest probability of success.

The Three Questions I Ask Almost Immediately

People often ask what goes through my mind when I hear a pitch for the first time. It isn't whether the dialogue sparkles. It isn't whether it could win awards. It certainly isn't whether I cried on page ninety-three.

Instead, my mind immediately goes somewhere else.

The first question is whether I can think of multiple buyers. Not one, but several. I'm not looking for a single company that might respond. I'm trying to determine whether this project could realistically create competition. Competition leads to leverage, leverage leads to better offers, and better offers create better outcomes for everyone involved.

The second question is whether the story travels internationally. Some films resonate almost exclusively with domestic audiences, while others cross borders effortlessly. That difference can dramatically affect a project's long-term value and ultimately determine whether it becomes an attractive acquisition.

The third question is whether the budget is appropriate for the concept. One of the biggest mistakes producers make is attaching the wrong budget to the right idea. A fantastic commercial concept produced at an unrealistic budget quickly becomes difficult to finance (or a red flag that the person pitching doesn’t know what they’re doing). Likewise, an appropriately budgeted project can suddenly become attractive to an entirely different group of buyers.

Those three questions usually arrive long before I've formed an opinion about the screenplay itself, and I know that's true for many experienced producers.

Great Writing Is Still Valuable... But It's Not the Business Model

Before anyone misunderstands my point, let me be clear. There are companies whose business revolves around prestige filmmaking. They chase exceptional writing. They develop projects because they believe in the artistic vision first and worry about commercial considerations later.

Those companies absolutely exist. You can probably count them on one hand.

Now compare that with the roughly eighty buyers and development companies actively looking for commercially viable independent films across North America. Most of them aren't asking exactly the same questions. That doesn't mean they don't appreciate great writing. It means they have to balance creative quality with commercial reality, and those are very different jobs.

Buyers Don't Buy Screenplays. They Buy Opportunities.

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is the belief that buyers purchase scripts. They don't. They purchase opportunities.

They're investing in an opportunity to reach an audience, build a marketing campaign, package recognizable talent, generate revenue, and outperform expectations. The screenplay is the foundation, but it isn't the entire investment.

If I can envision multiple companies wanting the finished film, the screenplay suddenly becomes much more valuable—not because the words changed, but because the opportunity did.

Create Competition, Not Hope

Many filmmakers spend years trying to identify the one perfect buyer for their screenplay. I think that's the wrong objective.

I'd rather have ten companies who are reasonably interested than one company who absolutely loves it. Competition creates urgency, improves negotiating leverage, increases the likelihood of financing, and validates that the project has broad commercial appeal rather than appealing to a single executive's personal taste.

The goal isn't to find someone willing to buy your film. The goal is to create a project multiple buyers feel they shouldn't lose. Those are two very different development strategies.

The Bottom Line

Great writing still matters. In fact, it's one of the few ingredients that can elevate a commercial concept into a memorable film. But great writing alone is rarely enough.

Today's marketplace rewards projects that combine strong storytelling with clear commercial positioning. The best producers understand both. They don't ask whether the screenplay is brilliant. They ask whether the finished film will create competition.

At the end of the day, buyers aren't investing hundreds of thousands—or millions—of dollars simply because they admire your dialogue. They're investing because they believe someone else will want the finished movie too, and that's a question every producer should be asking long before typing "FADE OUT."