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That's another reason I never bothered posting it. Who the heck would read it? At 160 pages, it would make a mighty thump.
...I've read a 167 or so page drama by you, if I remember correctly.
How about this scenario. I wrote a short. Someone wanted to co-write that short into a feature. We tossed ideas back and forth for a long time, but we seem to have way too different work styles that this might not work out. I still want to write it because I like the story. If I write it, should I share credit? It was my short to begin with and nothing has been written yet. Just some ideas tossed back and forth.
Hey, I did a darn good job on that one... I had help from the greats to make that one good.
I would say (in my non-legal opinion) that since the original story is yours, the feature is yours as well. You may have tossed ideas around, but non of those ideas can be legally possessed by you or the other person. It sounds like it was yours to begin with, and it remains so since the other person bailed.
If you think that person made a significant contribution to the final product, credit will probably be totally up to you, especially if they never contributed a word to the script itself, which is the main moneymaker.
That's interesting that you bring that up. See, for the longest time, I had this story rattling around in my head about... Point is, it involved Sam Spade a lot and would've been impossible to do otherwise.
Of course, as screenwriters, it is likely that we would in any case see our work rewritten by others anyway, whether we liked it or not, and could even end up having our contribution to the script removed.
I read once of a Hollywood blockbuster that had 16 writers, eight of whom received some kind of on screen credit! The writer of the original script was reduced to a "story by" credit!
In the UK a screenwriter told an interesting story. After his script, the first one to be produced, was accepted, the Director asked for various redraftings - he never wrote a word himself, just made suggestions. But on the end product, he was credited as co-writer. And whenever anyone spoke about it - and it was a successful film - it was always with the caveat that he was the writer/director of the movie. The actual writer was largely ignored.
Not surprisingly, the writer has said he will never again share a credit.
I read once of a Hollywood blockbuster that had 16 writers, eight of whom received some kind of on screen credit! The writer of the original script was reduced to a "story by" credit!
You could very easily be talking about either The Flintstones (3 dozen writers) or Last Action Hero (where the script deviated so much from the original that the two screenwriters of the original version got Story By). It makes sense though, because the original version of the script was awful, whereas I enjoyed the finished product.
I did this with someone else's screenplay once. Not going to say whose, but once upon a time, I read a script on here that was ok, but mostly sucked. Parts worked and other parts were either far out, bad, or I just didn't like them. I gave a review on it with a handful of suggestions to improve the original story, and then looked at it again. I started playing with it by tearing it apart and throwing out all the crap I hated. Then I reorganized the whole thing into the way I thought it should go (it's my exercise, who cares what the other guy's intent was?). Then I had to fill out some parts, combine some characters here and there, revise some key areas of the plot, and even surprise myself a few times. The final product is a script where the first review would be: "I opened this and saw how long it was, so I didn't read it. You need to make it shorter." It bears a passing resemblance to the source material, but since I rewrote it from the ground up, I would have to place both scripts in front of you and point out the similarities for you to see how they compare. It sits in my personal archive as a source of amusement, but I doubt anyone would ever pick it up because of its length. Good character piece though. Solid exercise in rewriting.
Oh, and I'm still intrigued by this (regarding the original OMC challenge thread this was split from), though I'm not sure I'll participate in it specifically. I'm kind of like "me" in that I would prefer to write something I can shoot at this point. Need a good premise though.
I was asked by a friend a few years ago to rewrite a horror feature my own way. He knew I hated horror as a genre and thought what would you do given this idea and I did something that I couldn't even eek out 40 pages. I had a beginning, end and all the deaths but no story.
A horror script by me is probably terrible compared to the already low standards the industry has regarding horror. I watched a horror movie the other night called "One Eyed Monster" look it up and ask me how bad it was watching a killer penis.
This brings up an interesting question. My script Wang is based off of Borat, well different character, same scenario. It's all done, and I'm about to post it So is it mine?
Isle 10- A series I'm currently writing with my friend Adam and it will go into production soon. Think The Office meets 10 Items or Less.
Based on what we know, it sounds like it's yours. You just used Borat for inspiration. You might get some "reminds me of..." comments, but that happens with everything.
Based on what we know, it sounds like it's yours. You just used Borat for inspiration. You might get some "reminds me of..." comments, but that happens with everything.
Especially when you mention anything "pop culture-based". You'll never hear the end of it, but just get past it. =)
The "reminds me off..." comments are even worse when you write music. People invariably grasp at anything a new song could possibly remind them of. I've heard some seriously whacked comparisons to some of my music. Strangely, they're less critical of stories.
The "reminds me off..." comments are even worse when you write music. People invariably grasp at anything a new song could possibly remind them of. I've heard some seriously whacked comparisons to some of my music. Strangely, they're less critical of stories.
Unless you're Vanilla Ice... =)
Anybody remember that li'l skirmish over "Ice, Ice, Baby"?
I read once of a Hollywood blockbuster that had 16 writers, eight of whom received some kind of on screen credit! The writer of the original script was reduced to a "story by" credit!
That's too bad, I hear of that happening sometimes. When I do collaboration, I only do with another writer, no more,so exactly that doesn't happen.
Isle 10- A series I'm currently writing with my friend Adam and it will go into production soon. Think The Office meets 10 Items or Less.
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So I based my script on yours...do you care?
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