Screenwriting : Posting Scripts by Hank Dumont

Because there're a lot of thieves out there I guess :-) Are you in the mood (and do you have the money) to start a lawsuit everytime someone steals one of your great plays/scripts, just alters a few things and then makes money with your work?

If you don't get read, you never get fed ;-0

True, and that's why I'am a hungry guy with a lot of ideas :-)

Oh wow...I had no idea. Is this something a broke college student can do? Registering my script?

40$ is a lot of money for many of us, certainly if you're a bit productive. If you want to do it cheap there's a solution. http://www.worldwideocr.com It might not be as safe as a Library Of Congress registration, but when you actually shoud end up in court somehow when someone steals your work it will always depend on the temper of the judge. Sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll loose and paying more for a copyright service will not change that in most cases.

Here in Hollywood, the people that matter go out of their way to not read you. WGA registry is $20. I guess it comes down to what you want from screenwriting. If you want to get paid for your work, you've got to put it out there every chance you get. I choose not to live in fear of theft. (but I also register every screenplay I write).

if you post a script up here then you already have proof of authorship and date. A work is it's own copyright.

Mailing a script to yourself via registered mail won't stand up in court. Neither will registering with WGA or WGC. Those methods only serve as an indication of when the work was created. The only method that is admissible in court is to register it through the US Copyright Office. It used to be difficult and took months. Now with their online submission system, it's a fairly painless process. You can even register if you're not a resident of the US. Now I'm not suggesting that you have to do this, but if you ever want the option to litigate (aka the ability protect your work), you need to register it via USCO. You can't do it retroactively either. The more time the script has since being registered will help strengthen your case. Check out the book "The Writer Got Screwed (but didn't have to)" by Brooke Wharton. And after all that, I hope no one has to litigate...

If the Logline and Synopsis don't attract sufficient interest to the 'Gatekeepers" or "Development" or others higher up in the food chain, to call you in to Pitch, then posting the entire script is redundant. Plus, since there is no shortage of intellectual property theft in the Entertainment business (or any other business!), the very things that might make your story unique and compelling because of your writing skills and approaches to writing are more vulnerable. No matter how much we may like and appreciate each other and try to support each other as screenwriters, don't forget that we are always in competition with each other for a limited amount of jobs and opportunities vs the huge numbers of screenwriters submitting material. In conclusion, I would like to add a quote from a truly astonishing Actress: Life is hard. After all, it kills you. Katharine Hepburn

What's the overall take on posting logline AND synopsis? Is that too much?

sigh Here....it's FREE! http://www.copyrighted.com/ WGA is $20, five years worth of protecting yourself. More than worth four Bic Mac meals.

Siempre habran quienes no tienen ningun sentido de la etica

There will always be those who have no sense of ethics

Y, al final, ellos sabrán a lo que se merecen.

Ken, USCO costs $35 and offers far more protection. http://www.copyright.gov/eco/index.html http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html

I'm new to Stage 32, but I just posted a TV sitcom pilot and a Bible Story Epic that a director asked me to write to be shot in the vein of "300" called Samson & Delilah to my wall. Is there another specific place we should post? Both the director and myself believe this feature script is special and needs the backing of others with means beyond our own to do justice to the battle sequences, etc. And, I must confess my heart's desire for Paula Patton to bring Delilah to life in this story. Thank you for your time.