Clint Hill's Lounge Discussions

Why is that not all anthologies have a theme?

Write it!

It's a choice. There are no set rules except to make the themes compelling and thought provoking.

The Wonderful World of Disney

Well there have been, but the most famous and ground breaking of those was Playhouse 90 from the early days of television which helped introduce the writings of Rod Serling, Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Frank Gilroy to a larger audience.

Brandon, I've got Final Draft 6 (rather than the newest iteration, FD 11)...and I love it!

I tried Final Draft briefly. But my problem was, by that time, I had already spent soooo much time in celtx, that it felt... different. Not bad, not worse, just... different. So I'm sticking with celtx for the time being. I am sure I'll try it again one day. But I don't think celtx is worse or "below industry standard". At least no one's complained to me yet that my scripts aren't formatted correctly...

I highly recommend getting Final Draft 10.

I use WriterDuet. Easy to use. You can import and export fdx. (Final Draft) scripts with WriterDuet.

I also use Fade In Pro. It gives you the option to save export your scripts in Final Draft form if you need to.

Welcome to this beautiful network site, Cat!

dreams and imagination are the engine of our industry. just remember, no one has a job until you type "the end"

Welcome Cat. You're entering the industry in an exciting time. It's possible now to write and shoot a short film that can - literally - be seen by millions online.

Try and produce some short scenes yourself, so that you can experience what it's like to have your vision translated into action, and captured on 'film'. Now is the time to start creating.

Good luck!

Welcome!

Have fun young lady. Get a good mentor and be safe!

I have confidence in my writing but sometimes lack the belief that it will go anywhere.

Derek Reid To avoid that I created a PDF that I print out and stick on the wall, I reward myself for writing and give myself up to 3 strikes. Let me know if you'd like a copy and I'll email it to you.

Clint Hill Which e-book was that? Where did you buy it?

To find out why exactly I'm doing it.

A movie's eventually coming out that I've written and that's as exciting as it is terrifying. There's bouts of imposter syndrome in there along with worrying the film will be trashed or, even worse, completely ignored. While I know it's a good problem to have, it feels like a new chapter of mind-fuckery after nearly a decade trying to make sense of breaking in. It's like the plank you're trying to balance on doesn't get any wider, it just gets higher.

On top of that, there's the issue of trying to build a career on my true voice. It's been an amazing couple of years for me. I've learned so much through direct experience writing and producing but part of what I've learned is that the kind of specs I like to write are, in many ways, opposed to what's considered commercial. I like writing pulpy low-budget dirt movies akin to the stuff popular in the early 90's. While I'm better off for the insight, it's been a harsh truth to face. It might be that my entire portfolio is next to worthless in today's market. The saving grace is that the movie that will come out is probably as close as I'm going to get to where I want to be so at least I may become known, and subsequently hired, for that kind of material.

The steps I go through after completion of the screenplay are 1. Title, 2. Log Line, 3. Register it with WGA 4. Send it out for coverage by a reader 5. Enter it into a contest.. Depending on the coverage and contest results I will do a second or third draft.

Register your script with the U.S. Copyright Office (https://www.copyright.gov/registration/). Doing so with the U.S. Copyright Office DOES give you the legal protection mentioned in a previous post here.

You may register with the Writers Guild or not; it’s up to you. Registration with the Writers Guild DOES NOT afford you the legal protection alluded to in a previous post here. It only affords you a claim of authorship, which is not the same as the U.S. Copyright Office’s claim of legal ownership of rights to a written work. It even states this on the WGAW website (https://www.wgawregistry.org/).

You may use either registration in a court of law, but who wants to go to court? The U.S. Copyright registration carries far more weight and authority. It costs $65 per work registered, and if you end up revising your work, yes, you need to register it again with a new copyright claim. It’s worth it.

You’ll want to register your script with the U.S. Copyright Office (https://www.copyright.gov/registration/) BEFORE you do anything else with it—BEFORE you send it to a reader for coverage or notes, or BEFORE you enter it into a contest—so be sure your script’s edited and proofread as much as it will ever be before you register. Do not put your U.S. Copyright Registration Number on your script. The registration only sees the light of day when there is a legal claim to make.

I never put anything in the cupboard, except pasta. Register your copyright and Writers Guild. You should also look on FilmFreeway for contests. Check to see what genre your screenplay falls in and enter a competition that gives feedback. You will see if your script has legs then or if you need to rewrite to make it stronger. Always try to build on what you have. Once you have done that, you should be in a better place to submit to agencies.

Stupid question for Clint Hill , does it matter if I live in the USA or not as to whether it can be registered with the Copyright office?

Sorry I’m so late in responding. No, it doesn’t matter if you live outside the U.S. What matters is whether the work is marketed, sold, and distributed in the U.S.

“Who Can Register?” https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-who.html

“FOREIGN WORKS: ELIGIBILITY AND GATT REGISTRATION” https://www.copyright.gov/comp3/chap2000/ch2000-foreign-works.pdf

§ “International Copyright Protection” (internet article) https://www.sidebarsaturdays.com/2017/09/09/httpswp-mep7vddb-vf/

Happy to talk to you about this, Teeshay. Feel free to message me.

Screenplay Gurus. Notes AND script mark up. I've used them many times, incredible detail.

In no particular order: 1. https://fourstarnotes.com/ 2. https://bartgold.com/ 3. http://www.screenplaymechanic.com/ 4. http://www.scriptgal.com/

Thank you so much guys. Appreciate it.