I didn't see a FAQ section of the site so I wanted to get a few questions out of the way. You don't have to answer them, you can just direct me to the part of the web site that will have the answers.

1) How does submitting a script to this site work?

2) If I want to submit a script to the screenwriters guild, what steps do I have to go through?

3) How much time do you usually spend reading a script? How critical of a script should I be (are format, punctuation, plot development, characterization key points)?

Thanks for your help, I plan on spending a lot of time at this web site in the near future.

1) There is a direct link to it in the main page, but Don (webmaster) is taking a break from accepting submissions, so I guess it doesn't work right now.

2) What's screenwriters guild?

3) I spend the time it takes me to read it. Be very critical. Every one of the points you mentioned are key points. It's a tough audince you've got here because of the amount of material going around.

1) How does submitting a script to this site work?

A) Click on the link called "Submit your screenplay" It's pretty easy after that...



2) If I want to submit a script to the screenwriters guild, what steps do I have to go through?

A) Well, if it's the W.G.A. then all you need to do is get the adress and send in 20 bucks... they'll file your screenplay and in doing so, copyrite it in the same move. I do it from time to time, but mainly have my agent deal with that, cause he is also a copyrite attorney.



3) How much time do you usually spend reading a script? How critical of a script should I be (are format, punctuation, plot development, characterization key points)?

A) As long as it takes to read. Alot of folks here will say they've read your screenplay, but in all actuallity... they just skimed over it, thus they give you a very harsh review of your work. Other times they do read it, but don't understand alot of your writing.

I read every screenply from start to finish. I never skip or skim. I then give a step by step flow review of the screenplay in question.

Finally, you can be as harsh and critical as you like... as long as it's helpful to the writer. Don't just say "yeah this script is shit" or "what the F*ck is this? Your writing is awful" Be more indepth than that. Go into why the screenplay is bad or why it is good.
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Best of luck to you and all your work... I do look forward to reading it soon.

So if you have a series and you have to pay 20 bucks each episode? Man what a rip off that is

The General,
Baltis is partially correct about registering your script with the WGA. Twenty dollars will get your script registered with the Writers Guid of America, but a copyright is a seperate matter. THE WGA does not offer a copyright.

http://www.wga.org/registration/index.html

If you want an additional copyright you have to do this through the Library of Congress for thirty dollars.

http://www.copyright.gov/register/
WESLEY: The WGA does not even read what you submit so you could register the entire series for twenty dollars.

What does registering do if you can't copyright it? And I guess I should to to Canada's writer's guild because I'm not American

Well... legally it automatically becomes protected under law just from your purchase to register it. Don't worry about copyrites as long as you have purchased proof of your work.

Send the screenplay to yourself and get the recipt from it. It'll hold up in court.

Send it to the WGA and with your proof of submission, it's protected. It'll hold up in court.

Go to the Library of Congress, they'll give you a form or even better go to the website and you can ask for the forms yourself... they're free and you can copyrite it yourself.

They're are so many different ways to get your work copyrited and secure... however, aslong as you have dated doc's, you're gonna be alright.

Also, yes... you can send in 4 screenplays, to the WGA, in one folder and they'll file them for you... however, you will only get credited on your recipt for the one folder.

BALT...

TheGeneral,
Baltis is not quite right on this either.

Quoted Text "Send the screenplay to yourself and get the recipt from it. It'll hold up in court."

This is known as a Poormans Copyright and is not valid in court because it can be faked.
Read this article for more info:

http://www.copyrightauthority.com/poor-mans-copyright/

Quoted Text "Send it to the WGA and with your proof of submission, it's protected. It'll hold up in court."

WGA registration protects your writing credit in a credit arbitration.
Copyright protects your work from unauthorized use.

http://www.screentalk.biz/art025.htm

THE ONLY WAY  TO USE THE © SYMBOL IN YOUR SCRIPT LEGALLY IS TO PURCHASE A TRUE COPYRIGHT FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

Thinking you are fully protected through any other means is done at your own peril.

Don's note, I added the [url][/url] so that Marla's links are clickable.

ALso, you can check out the "Protecting Your Work" section of http://www.simplyscripts.com/resource.html

AND thanks Marla for a couple more resources to add to the list.


Don

Marla... I won't get to much more into this, but the little symbol you speak of.. is moot. Until you have an actual agent or producer in tow. Sad, but true.

If you want to protect yourself, you can do so for free. Read the book simply called SCREENPLAY, it gets into indepth detail about how you are not obligated to pay for anything you souly create.

doc's and the like are welcome to fruitation of any writers skills... you are misleading this guy down a path to where he either

"A) pays 30 bucks to copyrite

or

"B) gets his work taken and stolen from him and it's gonna be perfectly legal

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I've wrote several screenplays and have nearly 70% of them under copyrite... I don't fret the threat of theft, cause it's not hard to prove your worth and your word, when in fact you are telling the truth.

I don't care what you say and how you say it... you can send out link after link after link and they are all moot, cause it's not a state law "in any state" that you must copyrite your work for it to be "YOUR" work.

Again, legal matters aside, yes... you can pay for your copyrite and you can do it a hundred times over... but in the end, it's not gonna matter unless you are getting something out of it.

Cold hard facts...

Wouldn't you be glad somebody steals your script? It's more of a credit to you because they stole your script haha

Well to make it into a film and they actually don't screw it up, I'd be mad than praise them if it's a good film

Probably I'd get a rifle and kill them afterwards but hey not everyone has the money to copywrite so don't bring up things like poorman's copywrite, it's an insult to the everyday working man/women

Yeah but you have to pay up to a hundred dollars for membership of the WGA. Which I think i not a bad price.

With regard to membership in WGA, please go to http://www.wga.org/manuals/admission.html.  

Membership runs $2,500

Registering your script runs $20.00

Don