I've learned that one of my shorts was produced without my knowledge (and without giving me any credit).  Does anyone know how to download something from youtube?  I'd like to get it before it's taken down.


Phil

Not sure how much it will help, but I found this.


http://www.tian.cc/2005/11/how-to-save-flash-videos-from-youtube.html

Is it the version of Not Even Death someone mentioned seeing?

That sucks Phil. I hope you strangle the rat who stole your script.

~Zack~

Quoted from Shelton Not sure how much it will help, but I found this. http://www.tian.cc/2005/11/how-to-save-flash-videos-from-youtube.html Is it the version of Not Even Death someone mentioned seeing?

I'm trying this, Mike.  But my brain freezes up with computerese.  If anyone can copy it and send it to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt2bQFZ6Vxc

It's not worth looking at, btw.



Phil

Hey Phil,

Copy and paste the YouTube link here: http://www.kissyoutube.com/ and you can watch and/or download the YouTube vid (remember to save the file as .flv). On this site, there are also links to sites that offers FLV players and converters that can convert the file into mpeg or avi.

Trust me, it's really simple.

Rob

Are we waiting for the file to be d-loaded and saved before we unleash hell?

As soon as I get a copy, we unleash the hounds of lawsuit.

The guy admitted in e-mail that he got the script from here, btw.


Phil

Phil,

Check your inbox and confirm receipt.

We'll wait for your signal.


EDIT:  The email bounced back because the file is too large (14mb).  I have it on my desktop though.

Quoted from Shelton we unleash hell

On my comand, Mike. On my command.

Did anyone check out the movie by the way. Where do they dig up that actor and actress? This movie comes nowhere near to relay the emotions I got from reading Phil's script.

"I'm ready to kill my enemies and put 'em in a bodybag while I'm staring at the President and burning the flag"

Quoted from Shelton Phil, Check your inbox and confirm receipt. We'll wait for your signal. EDIT:  The email bounced back because the file is too large (14mb).  I have it on my desktop though.

What format is it in, Mike?  Can you possibly mail it to me?  Or tell me (in simple terms) how to download it myself)?





Phil

I just went through the website that sniper provided.

Just copy the youtube url in the box, and it will bring up the video.

At the bottom there's a download button, hit that and you'll prompted to save.

Click on save and enter in the file name you wish to save it as.  I used "Not Even Death.flv"

Once it's entered, press Ok, and the file will d-load to the specified folder.

Supposedly, I've downloaded the file.  Only now I can't find it in my computer.

I'm not the most computer-savvy person in the world, if you haven't figured it out yet.


Phil

This is bad! Seems to be rampant lately too.  >

Wasn't very good either. Send Sawyer's dogs on them!

I wish someone would steal something of mine... Anyone, please. I want to see my stuff on film too.  

Quoted from dogglebe Supposedly, I've downloaded the file.  Only now I can't find it in my computer. I'm not the most computer-savvy person in the world, if you haven't figured it out yet. Phil

Run through and save it again.  In the box where you enter in what you want to name the file, there should be a drop down box at the top titled "Save in".  Change that to Desktop and click ok.

If you're using the same file name, it will probably say it already exists and if you want to overwrite/replace it.  Just click yes and it will d-load to your desktop.

Quoted from dogglebe I'm not the most computer-savvy person in the world, if you haven't figured it out yet.

No shit  

Just do a search on your computer, look for the file extension .flv or you can go back to where you downloaded the file and press download again, windows will automatic open the folder into which you downloaded the file the first time.

Gotta say, I've always been cautious about putting my scripts on here but the more I see this support for stolen work makes me that much more confident in posting! haha, it's nice to see people have respect for that and I know I'd never steal a script from this site because it will be found and you'll be hunted down!!

I've found all three copies that I've downloaded, only I can't run it through the converter.  Each time I try, I get a formatting error.


Phil

What does the error message say?

Did you put the .flv at the end of the file name when you created it?

http://www.zamzar.com/url/
^ that site is GOLDEN, never had a problem with it and used it on many computers. If that other site isn't working try out that one, it's a bookmark worthy site!!

And in related news, Chris Pender has also plagiarized Not Even Death.  This talentless hack posted several scripts here on Simplyscripts, including the shitburger Days of the Damned

Pender also plagiarized Randy Robinson's Dementia.

The best part is, Pender, much like the other guy, never even changed any of the characters' names or titles of the works he stole.

Don't believe me?  Click here


It just gets better and better....


Phil

Wow...just wow.


That's ridiculous.

All this is awfully exciting. You should check around at Free Domain Script websites, Phil, and see if your script is up on one. If they stole it, this guy could've gotten it from there.

-Chris

I don't find this exciting at all....

The first guy actually told me in an e-mail that he got the script from here.  He didn't see my name attached to it and simply took it.  He apologized for the mishap (his actual word).

Chris Pender is a talentless piece of shit.  If you were to look at even a few pages of his work, you would see that he couldn't have written Not Even Death.


Phil

So is the guy going to correct the "mishap" and put your name in the credits, or are you just making him take it down?

Quoted from Shelton So is the guy going to correct the "mishap" and put your name in the credits, or are you just making him take it down?

I'm going to sue the guy for his 'mishap.'  I expect a written, detailed apology, the film taken down, and punitive damages.

If any competitions that I entered the script learn that it was produced, it could mean disqualification.


Phil

I think suing the guy is fine and sets an example for other "script stealers" out there. However, unless the guy is really rich or profited from his stealing of your script, I'm not sure what you will gain from suing. Sure you can sue someone for 10M, but if the guy is only worth $2 it's going to be hard to collect. (OJ Simpson is an example)

Good luck though Phil, all of us here are with you.


PS. I'm old fashioned and would have simply kicked his f****g teeth out, but that's just me...

Phil, did you notice he never added "Written by" in the credits? I did not see anything in there as to who wrote it.

That's kind of weird that he would leave that out.

He could argue that since he never gave himself credit that you said he could. Now I know you probably didn't but it's your word against his.

Wes, every other director that I've worked with insisted that I sign an agreement.  I can prove that.  And then there's his e-mail to me, saying he wrote it.


Phil

I was going to mention unless you sign a contract of sorts with the others but yeah. E mail can't be admitted as evidence, can it? E mail can be faked.

I'm pretty sure if he's making short films with material that isn't his that he cannot afford an attorney to fight it.

The audacity of these people is unbelievable.

They know exactly what they are doing, these aren't "mishaps". Anyone who has the first inkling about a film knows that people's work belongs to them, unless you have purchased it outright.

It's shameful on so many levels, not  from just a professional point of view, but from a personal one.

Film is a colloborative medium, why would you want to steal someone elese limelight? Films can be win-win situations for everyone.

I'm really shocked by how much it has happened recently, and the thing is this is most probably just the tip of the iceberg. There must be hundreds of people out there pretending to have written other peoples scripts.

I just hope it is as pointless as it seems. A director stealing a script certainly seems pointless, they can either direct or not. I wouldn't have thought it would make too much difference if they wrote the film or not. I just hope that there aren't people out there who have made a career out of others work.

It's a c***s business at times.

Rick.

[Self-edited to tone down the rather nasty language]

Another really sad thing is that in most cases the person could get permission to use the work if they would just simply ask for it. They would rather steal it than give the writer any credit.

I’ve met a lot of producers and directors who admit they’re not very good writers. Sometimes I meet a producer who wants his own idea turned into a script but he can’t do it himself. That’s fine. But some producers often fancy themselves as creators. I believe some people just want credit for themselves for creating a script, i.e. inventing characters, etc., so badly that they’re willing to steal it.

Honestly, it seems to me that the very motive for it is to cut the writer out. I don’t know if it’s a god-complex or what but it seems like they have a compulsive need to be the “brains behind” something. They don’t understand that a good director can make a film his own, no matter who wrote it.


Breanne

Quoted Text some producers often fancy themselves as creators

I think, to be fair that Producers are the least of a screenwriters problem, in terms of plagiarism at least. A Producers vanity is usually either geared towards money or failing that, their "creative" side will usually transpire at the editing stage.

The sad truth is that it is usually other screenwriters who have the most to gain from stealing. This is true at every level. If you send a script to a large firm, they employ readers who are more often than not screenwriters looking for a break. The temptation to literally take a decent script and put it in a drawer and later pass it off as thier own must be quite large.

I know for a fact that this happens in places like the BBC where a reader gets sent an interesting script and then five years later find themselves promoted. All of a sudden they are under pressure to come up with ideas and they just pull out ideas that they've read in the past.

It's brutal and particularly annoying for communities like this that exist to get feedback. It's quite disconcerting to think that there are vultures circling just waiting to steal peoples work.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I think, to be fair that Producers are the least of a screenwriters problem, in terms of plagiarism at least.

I was referring more specifically to smaller independent producers, who usually are the writers and/or directors as well.

Sorry to hear about this, Phil. I know how you feel since it happened to me recently. I hope you take this guy to the cleaners.

It still amazes me that people stoop to this when often all they'd need to do is ask permission and give credit where credit's due.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley I was going to mention unless you sign a contract of sorts with the others but yeah. E mail can't be admitted as evidence, can it? E mail can be faked.

E-mail can be admitted as evidence.  However, it's not as concrete as a signed and witnesses confession.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley I'm pretty sure if he's making short films with material that isn't his that he cannot afford an attorney to fight it.

It could've been laziness in his part.  Or the fact that he can't write to save his life and he thought he could get away with it.

If he doesn't have money, his future earnings can be garnished.  If he owns film equipment or a car or anything of value, he can lose it.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I just hope it is as pointless as it seems. A director stealing a script certainly seems pointless, they can either direct or not. I wouldn't have thought it would make too much difference if they wrote the film or not. I just hope that there aren't people out there who have made a career out of others work.

I guess when the thieving bastard saw the script, he thought, "Hey, I can do this really cheap and no one would be the wiser.  Hey, this is the age of the internet.  When someone farts, we know about it.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films It's a c***s business at times.

I'm not sure what word you censored, Rick.  I can think or two or three words that I can use.

You Brits really know how to screw with the English language.

Quoted from Breanne Mattson Another really sad thing is that in most cases the person could get permission to use the work if they would just simply ask for it. They would rather steal it than give the writer any credit.

In the last couple of years, I've given the okay for most of my scripts to be produced, for the most part without any upfront compensation.  In the case of NED, I was planning on producing it myself.

Quoted from Breanne Mattson They don’t understand that a good director can make a film his own, no matter who wrote it.

I guess that film students will do anything to impress their teachers.

Quoted from Martin It still amazes me that people stoop to this when often all they'd need to do is ask permission and give credit where credit's due.

That's usually how it works.  New writers and new directors need each other.




Phil

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