Hello everyone.
I was cordially informed I was crashing someones party, so I'll repost my intro here. :)
I'm Carolynn and I'm currently working on writing some stories from my husbands youth. Although, I am not a professional writer, we are deciding to put these stories into a script format and having a hard time doing it. That is why I am here. I'm looking for a screen/script writer who can think outside of the box and is wanting to take on a challenge. I say this because these are not your ordinary stories but we believe it has marketability. We have taken the steps to register and copy write the material and concepts. We just need a treatment and pitch-able script. Anyone interested, please reply. I can sure use it.

First of all, Welcome

What exactly are you looking for? A writer to take your thoughts and stories and produce a script?

I can say one thing for you and I mean this in all honesty, if you paid someone to COPYRIGHT your concepts and ideas, you (IMO) were ripped off. If I am correct, you can only COPYRIGHT completed works.

For a person to enter into an agreement of this dept (again IMO) would require a great deal of trust, time, and inter-communication in order to get what is in your head down on paper.

If, say, your husband were someone (famous) the table would be set for a background story. A "this was your life" deal. But if what you are talking about are stories regarding an average persons life and the tales he encountered, well unless he was one extraordanary person, we are simply talking about a script. Right?

What terms would you consider to a writer that is willing to give so much based on your opinion that what you are bringing to the table is worth his/her time and effort?

These are just a couple of questions I would have if this were a story I would wish to persue.

Shawn.....><

Shawn, thanks for the hello.
I'd like to address a couple of points. First of all, ideas are intellectual property. There are things called patents, copy writes and trademarks. Secondly, I'm sure someone thought Tolstoy, Orwell, and Dickens were all a waste of paper. Finally, Hollywood in particular, is entirely bankrupt of new ideas. Also, the worth of any stories is purely a subjective matter. My husband may be ordinary, but his experiences were certainly not.
The terms being brought to the table would be a generous share of revenues on the finished work and pay for any writer to take this on. The stories he's written represent proof that truth is truely stranger than fiction. This is why we are looking for someone who is willing to put aside conformity and ossification.

A quote from Al Capone: Nobody ever got a chance that didn't take one.

Patents don't apply to scripts. I should know, I have 4 patented ideas. Trademarks apply to collective symbols and brand names etc. And on the subject of ideas they don't always lead to a sucessful business venture or marketable script for that matter. The way to protect you ideas is by registering your ideas in script format with the writers guild.
      I'm sure your husbands ideas and experiences are very unique and interesting, but there are people who will have had similiar experiences, not exactly the same of course and you may even be surprised to find similar experiences in scripts or films already out there.

I'd hate to be the one to piss on your parade, Ty, but everyone has original stories of their amazing lives.  Stories that will make Hollywood and the publishing world poop themselves.  And they're all looking for writers to put it down on paper.  Just look up the 'gigs' section on craigslist.

And all these gigs state that the writer gets a share of the profits after the script/book is sold.

And your talk about trademark, patent, copyright (not 'copywrite') and intellectual property means nothing.  Ideas, in and of themselves, can not be protected because there is no way to record who owns them.  You can't copyright an idea... a topic that pops up here once in a while.

If you want to get your husband's adventures down on paper, I suggest you pick up some books on screenwriting and learn how to do it yourself.


Phil

Hi Tygrefyfe,

Welcome to the boards.

First off, as Phil said, it’s copyright, as in the right to control copies, not copy write. Secondly, it’s true you can’t copyright a concept. You mentioned your husband wrote some stories. In what form? Like a novel? Or are they in some rough screenplay format?

Regarding Hollywood’s lack of ideas: Yeah, I hear a lot of people talk about how terrible Hollywood is. The fact is that most people can’t do any better. Most people don’t know much about the filmmaking process and thus have very little idea of how much work really goes into making a movie. Even of all the independent films I’ve seen, most are rehashes of things we’ve seen over and over.

Your husband’s stories may be original and marketable. The fact is, however, that the industry is lined with writers all bragging about how amazing their scripts are. There’s no shortage of talk. I’m not saying your stories aren’t as you say. I’m just saying that talking your script up is like white noise in the ear of the average decision maker.

I’ve pitched a script to a studio executive before and he asked me four things: What genre is it? Who’s the main character? Where is it set? What’s it about? You get about a minute to convince someone to request your script. If you start off talking about how Hollywood is “entirely bankrupt of new ideas,” your pitch will be over before it’s begun. No one wants to hear that. For one, it isn’t true. Secondly, your idea probably isn’t any better, no matter how much you think it is. Most screenwriters don’t have a realistic perception of their situation.

Finally, a promise of backend doesn’t mean much to an experienced writer. It basically equates to working for free since the overwhelming majority of all scripts never sell. If you’re paying upfront money, there are ghost writers who can write your script for you without taking any credit or ownership.

I wish you the best with your project. :)


Breanne

ty,

Breanne explained this beautifully (as she usually does). I'll add one thing here - that a series of "true" extraordinary events, no matter how unusual or outrageous, does not always make for good drama.

The questions I would ask you are:

What's the theme? Is the story about redemption? Alienation? Good vs. evil? Does the character arc - in other words, does he rise and fall, and in the end come to some sort of realization or reconciliation? How do the plot elements relate to the theme?

While plot elements are important, I believe you could be light on them and still have a story. Theme, for me, is the connective tissue of the story - it holds the plot elements together while imparting an overall message.

Since your story has a life before the audience member sits in the theatre and it has one after, you need to ask yourself why have you invited the moviegoer to experience these two particular hours in the story. There needs to be a watershed moment, an "aha" that your character(s) experience(s) that shows us that today is unlike any other day in their existence.

Hope this helps.

Anthony

I'd like to say thank you to all that have replied and I appreciate the comments and thoughts, since this is a place to share and uplift others. It is not surprising that you have to jump through ridiculous hoops to get a project like this started. We're still interested in finding someone to work with mainly because we want to and it would give an opportunity to someone to work (and get paid for their work) on something we believe would be an exciting venture.
@ Breanne: Drama/Action/Comedy. Main Character: Tom, a frustrated teen, involved in a wild pursuit of life and the coming of age in a city where he is constantly plagued with bizarre situations. Based on a true story and set in 1970's Detroit.
@Ajr: Yes, there is a watershed moment (quite a few of them)  that shows us that today is really unlike any other day in  most peoples existence. Some could say nostalgia for the most part, but could very well be drawn into the craziness that it is/was for my husband.
I've been told that this would be marketable. There have been some recent films out that have dealt with that time period but not in the extent that we would like to show on screen and the best part, it is all true.

You never know until you try.

Ty

Quoted from tygrefyfe Finally, Hollywood in particular, is entirely bankrupt of new ideas.

They are not bankrupt, but they are a working business "machine" that is afraid to invest in new ideas and therefore we might see a Jaws 11 or something like that. And hey, I might be the one writing it, tee-hee.

You will certainly have support here with your ideas. Probably the best thing (also maybe the worst thing as many can attest) is to work in collaboration with several individuals. You'll get more ideas, better chance to brainstorm and work on your project in an exhilarating environment.

There are so many types of minds with different philosophies here on Simply, you will both be able to receive and to give and that is a perfect partnership.

Welcome!

Sandra

Thanks for the welcome Sandra!

Quoted Text They are not bankrupt, but they are a working business "machine" that is afraid to invest in new ideas and therefore we might see a Jaws 11 or something like that

Well, sure, some might be afraid but who the heck wants to see Jaws 10,000 ways anymore? Don't you agree? In my opinion, it seems everything has been rehashed to the point of monotonous mush. It's like recycled plastic bags. It doesn't resemble a bag anymore. Who really wants to waste their time on it? Hollywood really needs a fresh approach. I know of some people in Michigan and I can say that the economy for that state was doomed until some companies decided to film there. It's catching on and a lot of producers are flocking there. In knowing this is happening and knowing my husbands stories are about Detroit and the outskirts, it's a perfect opportunity to do a project like this and give it a go. Just trying to find the right one to help us. It is true that it can be very confusing and aggravating if more than one is involved. This project would need someone who can be edgy. Thinks. Perhaps like Quentin Tarantino on acid? Oh- maybe thats a bit much to ask for...

Ty