Production companies seeking screenplays

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vertigoanton

Active member
Hey guys -

Just wanted to get some thoughts on this - I'm seeing some posts on craigslist about companies seeking scripts to be produced. As a writer, should I be weary about this sort of thing if my script hasn't been registered? I mean, there's always a chance a production company can read it, take my idea, come up with their own script and produce it on their own. (Not that I'm presumptuous enough to think my scripts are good enough, but you know)

Obviously, I'm not too keen on this sort of thing, so if anyone can shed some light on how this all (and by all, I mean handing over a script to a production company) works.

Thanks!
 
Well, I certainly wouldn't hand over anything that isn't registered somehow. I spend the $20 for a WGA registration for everything I write. Hey, it's tax deductible.

As far as folks on Craigslist go, don't just send something blind. If they have a link to their website, check them out. See if they've produced anything legit. Google 'em. If they don't even say who they are, well, I'd take that as a red flag. But you can still email them and ask for more info before sending them anything.

And in the end, if it feels creepy it is creepy. Go with your gut.
 
Thanks for the reply, Jason. Yeah, it seems a bit shady to me. Nothing about the company and just a standard gmail address. I'll definitely ask for more information.

And about the WGA registration fee...how does it work for newer drafts? Or do you just register it once you've got the final one?

Thanks!
 
i agree, definitely register your script, and do some research on the company before handing them anything. if they're looking for material on craigslist, i doubt they work with the WGA.

as for registering new drafts, i don't think you need to do it unless there are a lot of changes from your last draft. i know some people register their material in stages, beginning with their synopsis, treatment, rough draft, etc. i think that's a little too much, i just register the final version.

registering not only helps protects you if someone steals your idea, but it can also prove you didn't steal the idea from a more established writer who may come up with a similar idea after you and accuse you of stealing it from him!
 
Actually, more writers are using the gov copyright service (see the faq for this forum) because it does not expire the way the WGA reg does.

If I can give a few other thoughts about this, that may or may not apply to you but may apply to someone else who's reading...

There are other reasons not to send your work to someone on Craigslist. Screenwriting is a business and not a lottery. If you have a great script, and you're serious about trying to get in the business, and hopefully you are young and live in LA, NY, or a major film center, you should be deciding who you want to send it to. Top of your list should be agents.

The other way, esp for users of this site, is to produce your own work if you are writing low-budget screenplays. Start with a short or two first.
 
I have to disagree with cbln on one point: Screenwriting IS a lottery. Send your screenplay to a prodco or an agent or anyone else and the reception depends on who gets it, when, what mood they're in, and any other number of factors that influence their decision to pass it on to someone who can actually make a decision about your screenplay.

I'm working on a documentary w/ another professional screenwriter who happens to be a part-time pro gambler. Goes to vegas for about 4 days every month with a crew of guys who pool their money and work together to win. He told me that even w/ gambling, there's about a 5% odd difference that you can turn in your favour w/ smarts and common sense. Screenwriting, he said, is always a crapshoot.

But at the same time, another producer told me, "if your script is good enough, you can throw it out the window of a moving car and it'll still get made." But, he never said when, how, or by who. You could write the next Titanic, send it off to a prodco and have it passed on because a reader (who also happens to be a screenwriter and is annoyed that they are having to make a living reading other people's trite screenplays when their own are so much better, if you get what i'm saying) happens to be in a particularly foul mood that day.
 
This is a clear indication that a lot of people don't know what they're talking about.

Case law has established that WGA Registration, by itself, does not establish copyright and is NOT a clear guarantor of authorship. In other words, it aint worth much.

The ONLY way to protect your work is to register it with the LoC. Why not? It only costs a few bucks more than the WGAwest registration and actually accomplishes the result you're looking for.

Doc

P.S. The posts on CL are read by thousands of wannabe screenwriters. The prodcos who post on there are going to the cheap route and pay accordingly. Expect, if you're lucky, a $2000 option.
 
I do both, copyright and WGA that's the best protection. Copyright lasts for life plus 50 years after death. So, never send anything if it's not registered with both.
 
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