Question: When they say your first draft of a film script is bad, what do they mean, and how many drafts do you need until it is perfect?
Answer: “They” who, exactly?
A first draft is exactly that: bleeding out your idea onto the page to see if it’s worth its weight in pixels. Birthing is not a pretty process.
It’s really simple: you send a query letter.
Companies DO NOT want to see your screenplay; that is the “unsolicited material” they don’t accept. They’ll accept query letters all day long.
Do your due diligence: find out who you contact, and send your query letter specifically to that person (or department). That’s the professional way to get your foot in the door and, ultimately, to get the company to ask to see your screenplay.
First and foremost, you DO NOT send an unsolicited manuscript to anyone. All they’ll do is just throw it in the trash; no reputable company accepts unsolicited material.
Second, you DO NOT contact publishing companies. No reputable publishing firm accepts non-vetted material.
Writers don’t need publishing companies. They haven’t needed publishing companies for more than a decade.
Writers also shouldn’t self-publish. With the maturation of the indie publishing community, there are professionals (the exact same professionals who work for publishing companies) who can help any anyone with a manuscript go from writer to author.
Answer: Nope. If you write what you don’t know it rings false, and that transfers directly to the page, and the reader will always pick up on it.
To correct some misconceptions:
