Seriously,

Aren't we all throwing our thoughts out to those who can do with what they please?

We write “Copyright” on our work and then hear from someone that the work has been produced with no contact from the people who decided to take that work and run?

Understand – This has never happened to me, but I do understand the frustration discussed because I've had patents stolen and that does hurt.

Henrik, you sure handle yourself with grace considering the amount of deception associated with the scripts you have had produced.

In the "half full - half empty" world of screenwriting, it's refreshing to relate to a writer who is talking about the substance in the cup.

Shawn.....><

Quoted from Ledbetter Aren't we all throwing our thoughts out to those who can do with what they please? We write “Copyright” on our work and then hear from someone that the work has been produced with no contact from the people who decided to take that work and run?

It's a matter of pretty delicate balance, really. As I said before, making films is a collaborative artform and you should always take that into account. But some writers, especially if they're getting their stuff produced for the first time, can forget that they are one of the collaborators. And one of the major collaborators in that. It's easy to get overly excited about the prospect of finally getting something of yours done so that you let all kinds of crap fly just so you can see your work realized. You want to make sure that everybody in the production chain respects each other, and that includes you as the writer as well.

One important lesson I forgot to add that I'll add now:

Lesson #5: Communicate. Explain. Talk a lot.

More often than not, a director or a producer demands changes to your script simply because they've misunderstood something about the script. I don't fight against revision requests, not even the more major ones. But before I start cranking out a new draft, I always go out of my way to explain to the production people why things are the way the are in the current draft. I'm one of those writers who can spend weeks, if not months, just piecing together the puzzle that's going to be the story and the script on the page. That's why everything in the script usually has a narrative purpose of some kind.

Explaining why the current draft is what it is has often made the production group understand the story in a much deeper level and almost always their request for changes differ from the original. It is almost a rule when we're dealing with shorts that not everything is spelled out and a lot of important background bits are just implied. Explaining nonconfrontationally what it is you're saying in your draft goes a heck of a long way to find a common balance. You still need to rewrite, you always have to do a lot of rewriting, but usually the rewrites are ones that you're as excited to do than they are to get.

And one more:

Lesson #6: Don't be afraid to throw it all away.

I'm working with a production group that was interested in producing my scripts and I started working with them to make it happen. Draft after draft we honed the script to suit their needs when I realized that they wanted to the film to be about something that this story couldn't be without making it all really contrived and clunky. So I said to them that maybe it would be best to ditch this story and construct a completely new one to suit the message they wanted to convey. We're in the middle of that process now and it's been a lot better experience for everyone concerned.

In conclusion, I'd say that it's not advisable to be an asshole, but you want to keep in mind that it is your script and you have the rights to it. You won't have the final say in the production of the film itself, but you do have the final say in whether you want to give/sell it to anyone. So don't throw away your cherished script just to anyone just for the sake of getting something produced.

Just thought I would pose a question for those of you with experience.

If you are approached by students, or first time producers, can you agree for them to do the script but still allow yourself the chance to put this with a more professional outfit if they come along? I think I have read somewhere that if you place restrictions on where it can be released this still leaves the door open.

What restrictions are sensible to apply?

Should I ever get to the position of having someone take up a script, the last thing I want to experience is being buggered around by those who have no idea but I am locked into for some time. It sounds like this happens a lot in this biz.

I can just picture the feeling of disappointment having been let down after the initial joy of an approach.

When I'm talking with someone about producing a short of mine, I tell 'em four conditions:

1.  I get sole writing credit of the script;
2.  No changes in the script can be made without my approval, assuming I don't make the changes;
3.  I get two hard copies of the finished product;
4.  I'm kept in the loop.  And I usually tell them that I'll e-mail them once a month (or so) to see what's happening.


Phil

If someone interested in your short doesn't suggest that you copyright it first and discuss how both parties will share ownership, then I would walk away...

Quoted from Reef Dreamer If you are approached by students, or first time producers, can you agree for them to do the script but still allow yourself the chance to put this with a more professional outfit if they come along?

The others have covered the other aspects of your question quite well, but I'd remind you that there's nothing preventing you from allowing more than one production group do their take on your script. Unless you make some kind of a exclusivity deal, you can "sell" your script as many times as you like.