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This'll probably kick something off, but does anybody else find the message about this on the homepage a little...hostile?
I mean absolutely no disrespect to Don, who it goes without saying we all admire and are grateful to for running this place. But as well as a forum, this is a shop window for our work. I just last week signed off on an exclusivity agreement with a production company for a script that they found right here (well, not here as in this thread...oh you know what I mean). Intellectual property issues have to be taken seriously, but (and excuse my resorting to analogies here), if you walked past a shop that had "DOUCHE SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. REPEATEDLY." pasted over the windows, would you go have a browse? Or would you keep on walking?
Obviously we have a problem with people coming here and lifting scripts. And I know you've personally had some bad experiences, Phil. But there's protecting our work, and then there's driving people away. Zack doesn't seem too bothered with what's happened, although he might just be making the best of it. Just feel that message on the homepage is too aggresive. We have to do something to tackle the issue...just not that.
Honestly not trying to be dick, or go behind Don's back, or anything like that. Just speaking my mind as a member of the community who has a vested professional interest in the health of the site, and looking to raise a topic for discussion.
Yeah, I was happy to see it...and happy with what it said and how it said it. I think I actually said out loud, "Cool...".
Based on all this stuff going on with people filming other people's scripts, without their consent, or even knowledge, I think people need to be reminded, or informed, that these scripts, our babies, aren't free.
Fair enough. As I say, just wanted to see what anyone else thought. I do agree we need to be clear about the fact that these scripts aren't just here for people to exploit however they want.
Good to see the site more active, by the way! Can't remember the last time the entire portal was filled with replies from today...
Douchebag is a good word. I like it. The next person that disagrees with me, or says something I don't like, I shall call a douchebag.
Most people here would allow their shorts to be filmed for free. But the filmmaker still has to ask for permission. The teachers should teach a little about copyright.
And while I might feel like a total douchebag for agreeing with Phil -- should Don be monitoring and considering some tweaks or edits to his language -- words to this effect might also make a nice addition to help soften the message:
Quoted from dogglebe
Most people here would allow their shorts to be filmed for free. But the filmmaker still has to ask for permission. The teachers should teach a little about copyright.
And good posts, too -- not trash. People reading scripts.
I am on vacation -- and groaned when I checked in on the portal -- imagining that arguments must be brewing everywhere -- but all I found was good stuff.
This'll probably kick something off, but does anybody else find the message about this on the homepage a little...hostile?
I mean absolutely no disrespect to Don, who it goes without saying we all admire and are grateful to for running this place. But as well as a forum, this is a shop window for our work. I just last week signed off on an exclusivity agreement with a production company for a script that they found right here (well, not here as in this thread...oh you know what I mean). Intellectual property issues have to be taken seriously, but (and excuse my resorting to analogies here), if you walked past a shop that had "DOUCHE SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. REPEATEDLY." pasted over the windows, would you go have a browse? Or would you keep on walking?
Obviously we have a problem with people coming here and lifting scripts. And I know you've personally had some bad experiences, Phil. But there's protecting our work, and then there's driving people away. Zack doesn't seem too bothered with what's happened, although he might just be making the best of it. Just feel that message on the homepage is too aggressive. We have to do something to tackle the issue...just not that.
Honestly not trying to be dick, or go behind Don's back, or anything like that. Just speaking my mind as a member of the community who has a vested professional interest in the health of the site, and looking to raise a topic for discussion.
Jon,
Thanks for calling me out on that. I agree and should probably update the post to emphasize the prospective writer should contact the writer and in almost all cases the writers would be delighted to give his/her permission. I did PM Zack with my post on the main site to let him know that if he wished for me to change or temper it, I would.
My intent, however, was to be hostile in this case. Also, I want to get a reaction from GSVU's Image and Sound class and instructor. The key lesson here that I want them to learn is that, as with music and movies, intellectual theft is not cool. The instructor of the class should have asked the students if they got permission to use the work in question.
In most colleges today, students are warned about illegally downloading music and movies. I firmly believe that in film school, students need to be warned of the same thing.
Jon, your point is well taken about driving people away and I certainly don't want to screw any writer's chance of getting produced.
Don
edit - if Jon or anyone has any suggestions on how to better temper the message, please let me know.
should Don be monitoring and considering some tweaks or edits to his language -- words to this effect might also make a nice addition to help soften the message:
Unfortunately, the only thing that Don can do in cases like this is post harsh words. No one can stop these douchebags from taken our scripts. But, by posting such a message, maybe the next guy might decide to ask for permission, thus avoiding the douchebag transformation.
Maybe Don can post a message/warning at the top of the discussion boards for each of the genres (doing it for each script might be overkill).
I’m appalled by instructors who teach their students they can just take someone’s intellectual property without asking. It’s outrageous.
What do these filmmakers intend to do if a studio contacts them and expresses interest in making their film into a feature? Imagine when they have to inform the studio that they’ve never even spoken to the writer and that the writer has no idea their script has been produced. This is the kind of crap that can ruin a career before it gets started and instructors are encouraging it. Truly sad and completely unacceptable.
If I was about to sign a contract for paid exclusivity and the purchaser backed out because they discovered the script had already been produced for free by film students without my knowledge, I would sue the college for potential earnings.
It’s bad enough that students are taught to steal, but stealing what you would almost certainly get for free if you just asked is as perplexing as it is sad.
My intent, however, was to be hostile in this case. Also, I want to get a reaction from GSVU's Image and Sound class and instructor. The key lesson here that I want them to learn is that, as with music and movies, intellectual theft is not cool. The instructor of the class should have asked the students if they got permission to use the work in question.
When I learned that a high school film teacher filmed Sixteen Minutes without my permission, I wrote to him as well as the dean, expressing my displeasure in the matter. The dean got back to me right away.
I totally agree...however, I'm equally stunned that some members here that agree with this think nothing about using pirated copies of writing software... That's intellectual property as well...
My intent, however, was to be hostile in this case. Also, I want to get a reaction from GSVU's Image and Sound class and instructor. The key lesson here that I want them to learn is that, as with music and movies, intellectual theft is not cool. The instructor of the class should have asked the students if they got permission to use the work in question.
In most colleges today, students are warned about illegally downloading music and movies. I firmly believe that in film school, students need to be warned of the same thing.
Don,
I just read this. I guess the question in my mind is whether or not the students acted on their own and the instructor failed to follow up, or whether the instructor taught the students they could take without asking. Either way, it seems to me it ultimately traces back to the instructor’s responsibility.
I think your post on the front page is fine, except maybe remove the douche references.
I’m inclined to believe no harm was intended. I’d like to think this is just a mistake on the part of the instructor and/or the students. However, this isn’t the fist time this type of thing has happened and it’s a very disturbing trend.
Don, love your post on home page. Sounds like something about a quarter as offensive as I would've said.
I do kinda agree with Johhnyboy here. I would like to see a piercing message without the use of douchebag. You guys usually do a fine job keeping us volatile writers in check by being straight forward.
I love the message and stand behind it 100 percent. I don't think a juvenile word like douchebag should be in your article about script theft though. Thats for me to say. When these fuckers join the site. Or Phil of course.
For the record, I'm not really very mad about what has happened. I understand and agree with why most of you are, but I've been in a bit of a slump as of late. Not writing or reading(I still owe Shawnkjr a read), it was pretty exciting to find that message in my inbox. It's got my brain moving again and i'm hard at work on my next "killer person"(I think that's what zombie sean called it) script.
Guys, really, don't censor Don. Let him communicate things how he wants to. If he's thinking these guys made a douche move, then he's entitiled to say that. It got your attention, didn't it? So no only did he say exactly what was on his mind but he said it in a way that got your attention. How effective is that! Good work, Don, thanks for looking out for us.
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