Sherri Sheridan
Member
If you are going to quote directly from my Developing Digital Short Films book and Writing A Great Script Fast DVD workshop word for word with very specific examples, then claim you never used it, I have problem with that as any writer would. Both Wallstreet and American Beauty are two of my main example stories that are used over and over again as examples in both the book and the workshop. American Beauty did not even come out until 1999. There are no other published sources that use these two films with these themes stated this way, and that is why Kyle is unable to provide an alternate source for this quote from this thread:
Wallstreet: Greed leads to corruption.
American Beauty: Desire leads to suffering.
I know this because before Developing Digital Short Films was published in April 2004, I had to spend a full year going line for line through every sentence in the book and supplying a footnote reference to the legal department at Pearson. Someone in LA was trying to stop this book from being published, saying it would put them out of the business of teaching screenwriting, since it covered so much. There were several potential lawsuits before the book even came out, since it was covering so much information, by taking lots of others people's books and classes and turning them all into one universal step-by-step process. No one had ever done this before. As a writer the only thing you own are the words you publish (depending on your contract).
Did not mean for this thread to get weird. I am thrilled Kyle sold a script. I am just bummed he is backing off any credit on my end after giving me credit in April 2008 and clearly using my process. My big breakthrough between the DDSF book and the WAGSF DVD Workshop was how important it is to write from the theme first and then wrap the rest of the story around it. I spend half of the first of 19 DVDs talking about this big realization in Writing A Great Script Fast before I even start the brainstorming process. Then Kyle gets the workshop and says he had the same big realization a few months later quoting directly from my work in this thread saying this is one of the big reasons why he sold his script when people ask. Most screenwriting teachers do not talk about theme at all, saying it is too advanced, but for me it is a main focus in my screenwriting process.
I also have a few emails from Kyle that sound like he is using the workshop and enjoying it very much. Never does he say he never got around to using it or was just reviewing it. I sent him an email on May 18, 2008 asking how the DVD workshop is going for him and if he wants some new Word files of the updated Workbook and his reply is " Everything is going great. Please send me the new files at your convenience. Thanks again for everything." He does not mention selling a script or anything. Some of the other people I sent the same email to said they had not gotten around to using it yet but would get back to me. Kyle sounds like he likes the workshop and is using it in May 2008 to me or why would be be thanking me?
Now that you are writer Kyle you need to be careful about how you quote things or you are going to end up in lots of lawsuits. Let just take this whole thing as a teaching moment for writers everywhere.
Is this thread just to tell Kyle how cool he is for selling a script? No - most of the questions I read are other people asking how can they can do it too and what sources he used.
Wallstreet: Greed leads to corruption.
American Beauty: Desire leads to suffering.
I know this because before Developing Digital Short Films was published in April 2004, I had to spend a full year going line for line through every sentence in the book and supplying a footnote reference to the legal department at Pearson. Someone in LA was trying to stop this book from being published, saying it would put them out of the business of teaching screenwriting, since it covered so much. There were several potential lawsuits before the book even came out, since it was covering so much information, by taking lots of others people's books and classes and turning them all into one universal step-by-step process. No one had ever done this before. As a writer the only thing you own are the words you publish (depending on your contract).
Did not mean for this thread to get weird. I am thrilled Kyle sold a script. I am just bummed he is backing off any credit on my end after giving me credit in April 2008 and clearly using my process. My big breakthrough between the DDSF book and the WAGSF DVD Workshop was how important it is to write from the theme first and then wrap the rest of the story around it. I spend half of the first of 19 DVDs talking about this big realization in Writing A Great Script Fast before I even start the brainstorming process. Then Kyle gets the workshop and says he had the same big realization a few months later quoting directly from my work in this thread saying this is one of the big reasons why he sold his script when people ask. Most screenwriting teachers do not talk about theme at all, saying it is too advanced, but for me it is a main focus in my screenwriting process.
I also have a few emails from Kyle that sound like he is using the workshop and enjoying it very much. Never does he say he never got around to using it or was just reviewing it. I sent him an email on May 18, 2008 asking how the DVD workshop is going for him and if he wants some new Word files of the updated Workbook and his reply is " Everything is going great. Please send me the new files at your convenience. Thanks again for everything." He does not mention selling a script or anything. Some of the other people I sent the same email to said they had not gotten around to using it yet but would get back to me. Kyle sounds like he likes the workshop and is using it in May 2008 to me or why would be be thanking me?
Now that you are writer Kyle you need to be careful about how you quote things or you are going to end up in lots of lawsuits. Let just take this whole thing as a teaching moment for writers everywhere.
Is this thread just to tell Kyle how cool he is for selling a script? No - most of the questions I read are other people asking how can they can do it too and what sources he used.
Last edited:
