Trending Lounge Discussions

Matthew Kelcourse A lot of screenwriters here are submitting screenplays and if they get a pass they move on and hope they find some other producer that might want to option their screenplay. The odds of that happening are less than 1 in 5,000, which is a generous estimate. A screenplay is a screenwriter's calling card. If a producer is willing to read it then it then it did its job even if they pass on it. You should thank the producer and thank them again after you finish your next screenplay so they are the first to know about it. The first screenplay I optioned was to a producer who passed on two previous screenplays. Also, another thing you can try is to attach a director who has a lot of credits directing movies that are similar to the ones you are trying to sell. That way if you don’t have a track record you can use their credits and contents which would make your screenplay more valuable.

Good tips coming in from a number of good people. Let's tack on an epilogue: when someone says "no" - executive, director, talent, producer - then make sure the door is open so you can come back and submit another script! You'll be building a relationship(s). (Like Dan said above, a producer passed on two of his scripts, and then optioned on the third submission)

Your point is massively important, Lindbergh E Hollingsworth, and it's one that eludes many writers. Opening a door should be viewed as a massive success. Even if this script is a pass, the invitation to pitch or send others is a big deal. Further, what might not be a fit for one, might be for another. We've seen numerous successes here over the last 13 years where an exec passes on a project but sends the script to a colleague at another prod co where they might thing the material is a fit.

All great stuff. Hate to pull a Biden, but my father had a saying: don't burn your bridges, keep your footpath clean, and the gate slightly ajar. Translation? What they all said :-)

Grteat points Richard "RB" Botto & Matthew Kelcourse

Nice to meet you, Christinne M Bley. What scripts are you working on?

Hi, Maurice! Sorry took awhile involved in some classes and getting ready for Hollywood Pitchfest. THank you for asking about my scripts, I'd like to know what you are working on as well. But I am very occupied so forgive me in advance when I am tardy answering, thanks!!

Working title for my current script for animated feature film is "The Catfish Kids Save the River Town" but I'm changing the main characters from actual catfish to kids so have a lot of rewriting! Good thing we love it!

You're welcome, Christinne M Bley. I'm finishing up a ghostwriting job, working on a feature spec script, networking, and pitching projects.

No problem. Take your time responding. Let us know how Hollywood Pitchfest goes. Hope you have great pitches! And keep us posted on "The Catfish Kids Save the River Town." It sounds interesting!

Seems more big companies are involved also …

( the Plaintiffs). Sony and UMG.

I don’t blame them - copyright is important for a lot of their Artists and current music.

AI is a great tool, though we need to be wise how it’s used now in the 21st century.

There needs to be more Copyright protection Laws in place, as this topic and technology grows over the next 5 to 10 years.

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“The plaintiffs in the cases are music companies that hold rights to sound recordings infringed by Suno and Udio – including Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Records.”

It's gonna take governments, huge companies (like Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records), small companies, and creatives to protect against AI copyright infringement and regulate AI, Navid Lancaster.

Woohoooo! Congratulations, Finalists!

Woot! Woot! Congratulations, Finalist! I'm so grateful; it's such an honor to have made it this far with you!

Congratulations to all.

I'm so excited for A Quiet Place: Day One, Amanda Toney! Lupita Nyong'o is one of my favorite actresses. Looking forward to a Quiet Place marathon!

I loved this one Amanda Toney & Maurice Vaughan and was a good as the first.

Bill McCormick It was frustrating to be sure. And that experience brings home the point that we must educate our fellow creatives on what AI is and the potential it has for harming the creative arts industry.

I had no idea what Midjourney was when the cover artist created it. I am always careful to have the proper licensing in place for my work and when I inquired as to whether there were any elements of the book cover I needed to obtain a commercial license for (in case they used part or all of a stock photo which is common practice with some designers and is perfectly acceptable - those artists that created the stock images get compensated when I purchase the commercial license, and you can specify to your designer not to use any stock images generated with AI), they replied that I already owned the licensing because it was done through Midjourney. I had no idea at the time what that was!

From https://ec-pr.com/using-midjourney-ai-images-commercially-what-you-need-... "So far, AI tools are ‘trained’ by accessing images on the web free of charge, including data-mining images that may have already been created and copyrighted painstakingly by the artists." I don't own the copyright or commercial license to the work of those artists (I wouldn't even know how to find them). So, I truly do not own the rights to that cover. It may be regarded as in the public domain right now - but who knows what court rulings will be in the future?

We are so young in this technology and so many of us are focused on our art in whatever form, that we may be unaware of what is going on around us regarding AI. I didn't understand what Midjourney was until later - after I paid for a cover and published it. So, I think it's really important to have these conversations to raise awareness. AI has its uses - but not as a tool to replace human creations. Only work that is created by human authors is copyrightable - not AI - which brings a whole other level to the impact of AI on the artist using it, and their audience.

Nancy Golden what kills me is that people are charging for AI art. It's like being in an an alley and some dude says, "I got hot radios, catalytic converters, and AI art." You are literally paying someone to steal on your behalf. I did use AI to create part of my pitch deck, but am very clear in the credits as to what came from where. For things like a pitch deck AI's a convenient tool. But, once people start charging for it, it feels like they're making me pay to watch them use Grammarly.

https://billmcscifi.com/tbr6.pdf

Bill McCormick I tried to open your pdf, but it wouldn't load. I was using MS Edge - it may be a browser issue. I did enjoy checking out your webpage - congrats on your many accomplishments! I wound up on your Goodreads page and read about your Kirkus review and just had to pause and celebrate with you. I just received my Kirkus Review for Alien Neighbors and it's wonderful - with a recommendation to "Get It"! I always have to explain to people that Kirkus is one of the most reputable names in the book reviewing sector, so it's super cool to share with you since you already understand the significance (and how hard it is to get a positive Kirkus review!!). From my Kirkus review: "The rare SF yarn that emphasizes the positive." https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-golden/alien-neighbors/

Yeah, Nancy Golden, Edge isn't really the best thing going. Try Chrome or Firefox. I'm glad you enjoyed the site and congrats on your Kirkus review as well. This was my second and it still gives me the warm fuzzies.

Nancy Golden Yes, you're right that the Authors Guild has been heavily involved in challenging AI companies' use of authors' copyrighted works to "train" their generators.

Congratulations! It’s a great accomplishment!

Ian, you're on fire!

Congratulations!!!

Good on you for taking those scripts off the shelf and getting your work out there, Ian Milne. Glad to see it's paying off. Inspiring.

Thanks Richard "RB" Botto and all! Appreciate your support.

Joshua thanks, can't wait to hear you on the webinar - hearing all these good things here. And of course to hear the answer to my questions.... do you recommend that I post them here again? Asking for clarity since you had mentioned you will answer them after the webinar...

Definitely watch the webinar for more in-depth information and examples, however, when it comes to your writer's voice, so far no AI can perfectly match a writer's voice. For me, that's a benefit as that helps protect the creativity side of using AI as a tool. That being said, the most effect ways I've found that help me in the editing or rewriting stages are: Asking it to (the AI) to "reorganize the scene where X character is more of the protagonist." Or simply by telling it "I want the following things achieved and want to know if it's clear that they are in the following scene: Jana has a change of heart half-way through, Michael visually realizes that there's something wrong etc..." Another thing to keep in mind is, although ChatGPT, which personally I feel is the best so far, can do amazing things, it can miss elements of the story from time-to-time, especially the larger the volume of information you give it at any one time. So if you have a story you want to edit or rewrite, break the conversations down into sections. For example, if it were a movie script, I'd upload just Act One and give it a paragraph or two of what Acts 2 & 3 are and then start the edit and rewrite process on Act One. Then, when Act One is done, I'd move onto Act 2 in the same chat. Now it has the memory of all the work you did on Act One and what changes you want to make so it is better armed for Act 2. Essentially treat it like a human. We don't want to overload a person with information then ask them to get into the details. We want to give the person chunks at a time and then talk to it. Another tip is, if you don't like something it does, tell it. For example: "I don't like that idea on re-structuring the scene. Show me what it would look like if the middle was the beginning, the beginning was the end and the end was the middle." That's just an example, but it's fun to move things around in that manner to give you a different perspective of your story.

Even MORE helpful information, Joshua. I have already been playing with it to give me ideas for future episodes for a comedy series for which I have written a pilot. I was super interested in the ideas it spewed out!

That's great to hear Lynn! Another quick tip I love to use is, once you've written a scene, upload it and ask it to give you fifty words to describe the environment. I find I can really enhance the tone and character of an environment by choosing words out of the massive list. In the past I spent twice the amount of time google searching for word lists that were accurate to my environment. I love how, thanks to ChatGPT and other AI's, they can understand your environment then pump out word lists you can then use.

Giant lightbulb just went off in my head with your suggestion, Joshua. I often say that the Thesaurus is my favorite book, because I often pop it open to find just the right word to express what I'm trying to say on the page. But from your description, I'm betting AI would dig even deeper, and, having my scene as a reference, would cast a much wider net than when I'm searching for a single word with the Thesaurus. It's so good to be living in the 21st century.

Great to meet you, Andy Wasif. Congratulations on your comedy winning a fellowship! You could also post an ad on the Job Board (www.stage32.com/find-jobs).

Nice to meet you Andy Wasif and you are at the perfect place to make your dreams come true.

Fantastic to have you here, Andy Wasif

Congratulations on finishing your script, Billy Kwack! I plan on being finished with a ghostwriting job next week.

Awesome Maurice, next for me is the last wizard

Congratulations Billy Kwack WAY TO GOOOOO!!

Thanks Mark, your awesome

Thank you for sharing Maurice.

M LaVoie It's been a rare thing in my life to converse with someone who really "knows their stuff" about cinematography and they not mention "A Clockwork Orange."

Director wise I find David Fincher’s vision stunning. Recently I’ve been captivated with the DP from THE BEAR Andrew Wehde. I can’t take my eyes off his work.

Self-distribution is very very hard for indie filmmakers, Geoff Hall. "It’s entirely about social networking technology and creating a world around your film. And that has to happen as early as production." Besides social media (and YouTube), I barely see any promo for indie films. Indie filmmakers do have to start promoting their projects on social media as early as production. I see a lot of indie filmmakers promoting their projects in pre-production though.

This is a great article Geoff Hall and I use Deviant Art to also promote my work as well:

https://www.deviantart.com/markdeuce