selling shorts : contract?

[Randall_Oelerich]

Anybody have a boilerplate contract or a link to one for selling a short script? I have a number of short scripts I want to put up on inktip.com, but when it comes time to sell I guess I would like to build something into a contract so that if the script is not produced in a certain amount of time that its copyright would revert back to me; and/or write into a contract something about how much it could be altered; or perhaps I am just better off setting a price, and then being careful who I sell to-- check that the interested buyer has produced a few quality shorts thus far.

 

[prexdealer]

Sounds like you are talking more about an option. Could be wrong, but it sounds like an option. So many movies get optioned and never made. I know a guy who got a development deal because of his movie script. The script got optioned 3 times and has yet to be made. Each time the duration on the option gets shorter lol. He has no patience for talkers any more.

 

[Randall_Oelerich]

Not exactly. Usually an option puts the power of the decision whether or not to make the movie in the hands of the buyer of the script; the prodco options the script for a relatively small amount, then if the prodco decides to buy the script (presumably to make it into a movie, but the prodco is not obligated to produce the script even if the prodco exercises the option (buys the script for the full agreed upon price at the time of the option contract). I am talking about something a bit different, viz as writer wanting the option for the script ownership to revert back to me in the even the script were not produced; I do not want to just sell a short and then not see it produced (I don't need the money that bad, in fact I would sell the script cheap or cheaper to a prodco/director who I saw had a good track record and who would likely do a better job than say a first year college student who has not made any short films yet). Of course I would not be wanting to work such a deal like this for feature specs, that is an entirely different beast-- in that case, the sum of money involved would be substantial and jimmy crack corn well if the spec never gets produced (the norm 9 out 10 times), as long as I sold the feature spec for the fulls sales price (option exercised) I would be smiling on the way to the bank (and of course I would also like to see such a spec produced, but the reality is I know it likely would not be produced).

Sounds like you are talking more about an option. Could be wrong, but it sounds like an option. So many movies get optioned and never made. I know a guy who got a development deal because of his movie script. The script got optioned 3 times and has yet to be made. Each time the duration on the option gets shorter lol. He has no patience for talkers any more.