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THE MISC. WRITING SCREENPLAYS
FAQ
Compiled by Stephen Smith (stevo@jonlan.demon.co.uk)
from various postings and E-mails - thanks to all who
have helped, both directly and indirectly.
This FAQ was written, not (all) by me, but by the people
who post to the newsgroup - you may recognise a lot
of it! Basically, what I have done is to copy from the
group anything that I feel is relevant, frequently asked,
and helpful to know, and put it into one place. Hopefully
with all this in one place we can avoid any more "Which
font do I use?" discussions.
It may be that some information in the FAQ is not suited
to it. After all, the whole point of the group is to
ask questions and chat, and I don't want the FAQ to
take this over. I'll leave it to the group to decide
what should stay, and what should go. E-mail me if you
have an opinion.
Not all of the questions are currently answered, but
I have left them in to remind me that they need an answer.
If you know the answer to a question in this FAQ, please
send it to me.
Anyway, here it is!
CONTENTS
What is the
group about?
Where can I
find information on films on the Net?
Where can I
find information on Screenwriting on the Net?
What is the
other FAQ that I see recommended/requested in this
newsgroup? Are there any other FAQ I might be interested
in?
Your physical
script
a. What is the proper format, and why are there
so many different ones? And how do I know which
one to choose?
b. What is the correct font I should be using?
Screenwriting
Software
a. Word for Windows
b. Word Perfect for DOS
c. WordPerfect for Windows
d. Word for Mac.
e. Windows
Show-Specific
information
a. Star Trek
b. X-Files
Where can I
get the Hollywood Creative Directory?
What other courses/books
are recommended?
I have a question
that's not answered in the FAQ - what do I do?
Can I post
my idea/treatment/script/story/novel to the newsgroup
and get it critiqued by the readers here?
Where can I
get scripts from? (Net and otherwise)
Okay, I've
read the FAQ - Now what?
Show-type advice.
a. Mini-series
Advice on dealing
with producers
I suffer from
Writers Block. What do you recommend?
I get bored
of my ideas once I start to write. What can I do?
Terminology
a. Spec scripts
b. Screenplay
c. Teleplay
d. Production script
e. Treatment f. Release form
How do I option
a book?
What magazines
(or similar) can I subscribe to?
How do I register
with the WGA (Writers Guild of America)?
Do you have
any E-mail addresses of production groups?
What
is the group about?
The newsgroup misc.writing.screenplays (MWS from now
on) is a forum for anybody who wishes to discuss any
aspect of screenplay/teleplay/scriptwriting with other
people. Naturally enough, the usual netiquette applies
to this group. In addition, please do not post scripts
of any kind to the group, for the same reason as not
posting binaries or HTML files etc...
Where
can I find information on films on the Net?
One of the best places to look is the Internet Movie
Database, located at http://uk.imdb.com/ (or http://us.imdb.com/
of course). This is an entirely free fountain of knowledge
on almost any film. http://www.indispensable.com/movies
http://www.gigaplex.com/ http://www.webcom.com/~davidaug/Movie_Sites.html
http://Screenwriters.com/Deemer/ http://www.iguide.com/movies/mopic/pictures/
The Hollywood Reporter may now be accessed directly
at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com. The Reporter purges
every day. To access Daily Variety, use Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com),
then select "Reuters" and the "entertainment headlines"
section thereafter. Most of what appears there is taken
directly from Variety and put on the Reuters wire service.
You'll also see summaries of Variety headlines, Army
Archerd's column, etc. Yahoo keeps headlines for a week,
so you can make weekly visits there.
Where
can I find information on Screenwriting on the Net?
http://www.teleport.com/~cdeemer/Screenwriters.html
http://www.io.com/MovingToHollywoodGuideForActors/
http://users.aol.com/blcklab666/home.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~akeir/writers.html
http://www.wga.org http://screenwriters.com/Interspace/index.
html http://rohan.sdsu.edu/home/lquinto/sitcom.html
What
is the other FAQ that I see recommended/requested in
this newsgroup?
Are there any other FAQs I might be interested in? This
is also the "Internet Research for Writers FAQ". It
is regularly posted in or around the last week in each
month. It also gives a great number of URL's personally
recommended by writers, including research sites, screenplays
on the web, etc. There is also the INTERNET FILMMAKER'S
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FAQ available at http://www.vianet.net.au/~benc/if-faq.htm.
It is posted monthly to the group, and compiled by Benjamin
Craig.
Your
physical script
a. What is the proper format, and why are there so many
different ones? And how do I know which one to choose?
It is not recommended to have any cover art.
- b. What is the correct font I should be using?
The general opinion is that Courier should be the font
of your choice, since it is the general standard. This
is because it is a fixed-width font, makes for slightly
easier reading, and has more chance of complying with
the fabled "one minute per page" law.
Screenwriting
Software
a. Word for Windows ScriptRighter: http://www.fetching.com/scriptrighter/
ScriptThing: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ScriptThing
or call us at 800-450-9450 or 619-270-7204.
- b. Word Perfect for DOS
- c. WordPerfect for Windows Screenwright - http://members.gnn.com/acbaird/scr.htm
- d. Word for Mac Final Draft
- e. Windows Scriptware. Call Cinovation at 303/786-7899
or 800/788-7090
Show-Specific
information
a. Star Trek
I think Starlog Magazine had a special issue about just
this subject a few years ago. What I remember about
it is that the best way to get a script to the Star
Trek folks (since they are willing to accept unrepresented
material) is to sign up for one of their instructional
courses at any one of the many Star Trek cons held around
the country. It's a bit on the expensive side (several
hundred bucks, as I recall), but you get classroom instruction
and an opportunity to have your stuff read and critiqued
by someone supposedly in the know. I have no idea if
this is only their way to make some money from wanna-bes.
..and The 2Ds, at http://www.2d.org have created THE
RANDOM PLOT GENERATOR FOR STAR TREK:TNG.
b. X-Files
X-Files require agent representation by people wishing
to submit spec-scripts. The X-Files no longer accepts
freelance material, and they are *definitely* not accepting
ANYTHING while the show is on hiatus; at least one screenwriter
has been recommended by an agent (don't know the screenwriter,
don't know the agent, sorry) to try again in June...but
I've heard they're completely closed up to anything
other than inhouse work. Makes sense, considering how
close they are to the end of the run. Ask your agent
or attorney to ask whether or not 1013 Productions is
accepting sample material from writerrs, though; the
company does have one new pilot scheduled for fall release,
and is (undoubtedly) considering other projects as well.
Where
can I get the Hollywood Creative Directory?
The directory homepage is located at http://www.hollyvision.com.
A different version is done by Brookfield and you don't
have to have a CD - it comes in a Windows version. Their
# for info is (800) 533-3260 or (213) 668-0030.
What
other courses/books are recommended?
"Plot" by Ansen Dibell (Writers Digest) covers interwoven
but related subplots. "How to Succeed by: Producing
TV movies" by Everett Chambers. "The Complete Guide
to Standard Script Formats" by Cole/Haag "Lew Hunter's
Screenwriting 434." "On Directing Film" by David Mamet
"Reel Power" by Mark Litvak "Screenwriters On Screenwriting"
by Joel Engel "The New Screenwriter Looks at the New
Screenwriter" by William Froug "Thinking In Pictures"
by John Sayles "Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters
of the 1940s and 1950s" by Pat McGilligan "What Makes
Sammy Run" by Budd Shulberg "The Art of Screenwriting"
by Richard E. Blum - 3rd Ed. 1995.
I
have a question that's not answered in the FAQ - what
do I do?
Please post it to the group. Here it has the greatest
chance of being answered by the people who know, and
from there I can "grab" it and place it in the FAQ if
I feel it would be useful knowledge for others.
Can
I post my idea/treatment/script/story/novel to the NG
and get it critiqued by the readers here?
Please do not post it to the group. It is recommended
that you make it available on a web page or ftp site
for other people to look at at their will. Alternatively,
you can ask if anybody would like to be E-mailed a copy.
Of course, making it public is carried out at your own
risk, be it plagiarism or whatever. Posting it to the
group will increase the bandwidth though.
Where
can I get scripts from?
(Net and otherwise) http://home.fish.net.au/~drew/scripts.htm
http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/etext/etext.html http://home.cdsnet.net/~nikko11/scripts.htm
http://www.hollywoodnetwork.com:80/scriptsales/ http:/www.gsc.net/cine/cscripts.htm
Alternatively, you can try the following: Hollywood
Scripts 818-980-3545. ~$15 each. Samuel French sells
hundreds of published scripts. They also do mail order.
You can call them at (213) 876-0570 or (212) 206-8990.
In Canada the number is (416) 363-3536. Book City. In
Burbank, their number is 818-848-4417 and in Hollywood
it's 213-466-2525. There is also SCENARIO magazine.
4 scripts per issue, quarterly at around $50 a year,
I think. It interviews the writers and has a good keynote
essay each issue. Scenario 3200 Tower Oaks Blvd. Rockville,
MD 20852 1800-222-2654 fax-1301-984-3203
Okay,
I've read the FAQ - Now what?
Start writing! Probably the most difficult part of being
a writer (how ironic) but it just has to be done. Just
imagine what your work will look like when finished
- an inch-thick perfectly formatted Hollywood blockbuster
- and you can't go wrong.
Show-type
advice
a. Mini-series Assuming this is for broadcast on a commercial
network, with the mini running in 2 hour segments each
night, the teleplay is written to cover approximately
94 minutes out of each 2 hour broadcast segment, including
credits. Teasers, commercials, promos, etc. fill out
the time slot. Despite the so-called "one minute per
page" rule, however, the average teleplay for each 2
hour segment tends to run 100-107 pages in length. Each
2 hour segment consists of 7 acts, as there are 7 commercial
breaks during the running of the teleplay (thus a 4
hour mini consists of 14 acts): 1. The first act on
any given night is usually allowed to run long, until
about 20-25 minutes after the hour. 2. Act III ends
just before or near (never after, though) the end of
the first hour and tends to end on a high note, to hold
the audience from switching to the new program choices
available to them at that time. This is taken seriously;
no matter what you've written, you'll get a note from
the network on how to sharpen the end of Act III. :)
3. Act VII on any given night can sometimes be a bit
shorter, a coda if this is an MOW or the last act of
the entire miniseries, a teaser if the miniseries continues
on another night. Other acts can fit the needs of the
story, though should be roughly equal in length. There
are variations on this, of course, for the miniseries
that is 3 hours long and is broadcast in one evening
or that doesn't run in all 2 hour blocks each night,
for example. But the norm that the networks rarely depart
from these days is a 4 hour series broadcast in 2 two-hour
segments.
Advice
on dealing with Producers
"Pitching" meetings These meetings are "get to know"
meetings. Just be yourself. And hopefully being yourself
means that you are a cheerful, intelligent and slightly
self-deprecating individual. :) Often, wearing a suit
is not normally advised - you have to look "creative".
Be prepared to pitch. But also be prepared NOT to pitch.
Sometimes they will want to hear something ... other
times not. Don't worry about being ripped off. Just
register the pitches with the WGA in advance of the
meetings. You are out there looking for employment.
Now is not the time to get overly paranoid. The purpose
of these meetings is to present yourself as a writer
they would want to work with in the future. Often people
think "well, I'm a writer, I just turn in my pages and
that's that." But the truth is, most of the work a writer
does in Hollywood is development. And that means working
closely with producers and executives. That means that
if you want to get in on the bread and butter world
of assignments ... you'll need to show people that you
bright and easy to work with. If you do pitch ... keep
it brief. Often I thumbnail a pitch. Just a 2-minute
sketch and see if they are hooked. If so, I schedule
another meeting to come back and do the whole shebang.
But since you are not living in LA you may try giving
the thumbnail ... and then roll into the pitch if they
are interested. If somebody's interested in your 2 minute
pitch you should be prepared on the spot to do a longer
15 or 20 minute version. If you have to schedule a meeting
and come back it tells me you don't know your story
well enough and aren't passionate enough about it. It
is true that often the whole point of pitching is to
entertain the person you are meeting and show that you
have storytelling abilities. But pitching is a whole
other animal. It's not really writing. It's something
else. But I found pitching is a useful thing to improve
at. Remember ... the main thing in these meetings is
to present yourself as a nice, smart person people would
like to work with. Be casual but professional. Try to
be funny if you have that capacity. Work off the other
person's personality. Don't be too upbeat if the other
person is dour and serious. and vice versa. And if you
pitch ... keep it short and punchy ... don't try to
pitch the WHOLE story.
I
suffer from Writers Block. What do you recommend?
There are many ideas for ways to cure this. This is
the short list. Force yourself to only write one sentence
per day, and stick to it rigidly (until you are cured,
which should be pretty soon). The idea is that it is
very difficult to stop yourself writing once you have
done one sentence Another solution is to read a major
film script written by somebody else.
I
get bored of my ideas once I start to write. What can
I do?
One thing to do that might help is to write down your
initial idea; the one that got you so excited about
the original premise. This often gets lost in the fury
of writing, and you can easily forget the "core" story
and get misled down blind alleyways of loose ends. Always
keep this piece. Don't make it too detailed, and re-read
it again and again. As proud writer of a dozen started-but-never-finished
screenplays, I can relate. A working screenwriter friend
of mine gave me a tip on addressing this problem that
has helped me immensely. In first draft, he said, he
never looks back. He doesn't reread (let alone edit)
what he's written, except maybe the last couple of pages
from the day before to refresh his memory as to where
he is in the story. Otherwise, he said, he finds himself
spending all his time lamenting and fixing and fussing
and never finishing the draft. Since I adopted his "eyes
only forward" approach, I've made tremendous progress
and have discovered new-found enjoyment in the first-draft
process. Of course, post-first-draft rewriting is still
a huge pain in the butt, but at least it's not another
project that gets abandoned on page 59 and ends up on
my shelf with half-inch brads.
Terminology
a. Spec scripts
A spec script is one written "on speculation" that it
will sell - in other words, written with no promise
of compensation.
- b. Screenplay
A feature film script, one that is (or will be) made
into a movie on the "big screen". Generally 90 to 110
pages in length.
- c. Teleplay
A script for a television series. The accepted length
is now forty-two to forty-eight pages, though each show
has its own length and structure. The only show left
on television (that I know of) that has 55-page scripts
is The X-Files.
- d. Shooting Script
This is a script that includes camera angles, and input,
a script that is ready to be transferred to the camera's
eye.
- e. Treatment
A treatment is basically a detailed prose description
of the events of the proposed film. It includes all
the important details of scene, action and character,
told in present tense and mainly without dialogue. I've
read treatments as short as twenty pages (Silent film
treatments were often very short, as the films were
often very simple) to a couple that run over a hundred.
Generally, though, the average is about 60-70 pages,
double spaced. This is essentially The Movie - told
how you might tell it in conversation, but with more
detail than you would normally use. Some treatments,
particularly those by novelists, are given more narrative
flourish, while others are bare-bones -- "this happens
then that happens." Again, they are always told, like
the action in scripts, in present tense. "She runs"
instead of "She ran." In the earlier Hollywood era treatments
were an essential part of the production process. In
the silent days, dialogue was mostly unimportant. A
property was judged mainly on the way it moved, so a
description of the action was of primary importance.
Often the studios acquired or considered properties
from other media - books, plays, newspaper stories -
and needed that material translated into a form they
could evaluate in terms of it's cinematic viability.
Would it play as a film? The truth is also that then,
as now, most studio execs didn't want to read the original
material, just a precis' of the most dramatic elements.
Properties are bought and writers hired and after a
few development meetings is given a certain amount of
time to produce a first draft screenplay. Perhaps the
thinking is that if the writer is going to write 70
pages of text, she might as well write a 120 page screenplay.
Also, the spec script has made the treatment redundant.
Rarely now is a screenwriter asked to do a full treatment
and in fact many working screenwriters are a bit murky
on the concept. Still, treatments are a really valuable
working tool for writers. They help the writer to really
hone in on the story basics, flow of scenes, cinematic
movement, character revealed through action, rather
than the dialogue, which seems to bog down so many writers.
Again, only the most essential dialogue is included
in a treatment (Perhaps an ongoing punch line or a phrase
that captures the essence of a character.) The emphasis
here is on efficient storytelling. What do you need
and more importantly, what don't you need, to spin your
yarn. In terms of form, as in screenplays, treatment
styles vary widely from writer to writer. Some start
at the beginning and just go on paragraph after paragraph
until the end. Others I've read (and like better) break
down the action down into it's component scenes or sequences,
often numbering them consecutively.. For example, the
treatment to The Day the Earth Stood Still starts something
like this: 1. The vast expanse of the universe. We see
a spacecraft seemingly floating through space.....(followed
by description of the interior of the ship, description
of Klaatu inside looking at earth through the window...)
2. The spaceship enters earth's atmosphere... (description)
3. Inside a radio station, the announcer is excitedly
reporting the many sightings of an unidentified flying
object. Try to use real radio personalities, Winchel
etc. 4. The spaceship hovers above Washington DC The
entire city is out, clogging the streets, staring up
transfixed at the massive craft. There is a collective
gasp as the ship begins to land... -- And blah, blah,
blah --- Of course each of these numbered scenes/sequences
run a good deal longer than my examples, some a couple
of paragraphs, some a couple of pages, but that's the
general idea. Anyone interested in obtaining actual
treatments should make a trip to UCLA (Arts Special
Collections) or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences Margaret Herrick Library. These days a screenwriter
will rarely be asked to provide a full treatment for
a project - they will usually be hired to do a screenplay
draft. But it's a good idea to know what a treatment
looks like and it's a great tool for a writer's bag
of tricks. It can really help define the story and get
one past the always dreaded writers block. Oh, and treatments
can be registered with the WGA. - f. Release forms have
four main functions: 1. The writer agrees that he or
she requested permission to make the submission, so
that legally the submission is "unsolicited" rather
than "solicited" by the production company. 2. The writer
agrees that the production company is free to use any
public domain material that the screenplay may contain
without contracting with the writer. 3. The writer agrees
that if the production company should develop and produce
similar material that is not in the public domain entirely
independently of the writer's submission, the writer
has no recourse to claim copyright infringement. 4.
The release will also usually state that the submission
release represents the only agreement to date between
writer and production company, that no other contractual
obligations exist. All of these clauses make it possible
for a production company to look at material with some
degree of assurance that in doing so, they are not making
themselves liable for a copyright infringement suit
or breech of contract suit if they produce similar material
from another source. Given the similarity of so many
submissions, it's needed protection. Accepting submissions
through a neutral third party such as an agent or lawyer
provides the production company with the same protections;
the release is a way to let unrepresented writers submit,
though is legally weaker (that's one reason studios
et-al won't use releases). So the release doesn't prevent
the writer from bringing a copyright infringement suit
or breech of contract suit in any and every circumstance,
but does set out some specific circumstances in which
such a suit will be invalid. Releases also tend to contain
some other standard clauses, such as stating that any
suit will be settled by arbitration or the courts, setting
time limits on any action that the writer may bring
after the writer feels the violation has occurred, etc.
There is no single "standard submission release;" each
company will have their own with minor wording variations
or additional clauses (and a few from the rare unscrupulous
companies may contain clauses more appropriate to an
option/purchase agreement than a release - any writer
should take some care before signing a release, being
sure that they understand the language the release contains).
But any release will cover the four points mentioned
above. The following is the Walt Disney standard release
form. This has been OCR'D, so apologies for the quality.
REVISED 1/17/96 Date: Walt Disney Studios Title of Material
Submitted: 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank California
91521 Attn:Writing Fellowship Program Gentlemen: I wish
to submit, in support of my application to the Fellowship
Program, certain material, all the important features
of which (including the title) are summarized by me
on the attached "Exhibit A'". Such summary, title and
all materials which may be submitted to you with respect
thereto, including all ideas and their expression as
contained therein, are hereinafter referred to as the
"Sample". In submitting the Sample to you, I recognize
that you engage in extensive activities in creating,
acquiring and developing literary, artistic, musical,
design and other material, including stories, ideas,
themes, plots, titles, screenplays, fonnats, concepts
for attractions, parks and other developments and other
materials, hereinafter together called "Material". I
recognize that Material which you may hereafter use
may have originated with or may have been acquired from
your own employees or others and may duplicate, parallel
or resemble the Samples. I appreciate your concern that
an examination of the Sample, without a full release
of liability, might expose you to a claim of plagiarism,
or claimed existence of an implied in fact contract
or other claim or litigation. 'Therefore, as an inducement
to you to examine, and in consideration of your examination
of the Sample, I hereby acknowledge the following understandings
and conditions: I .My submission of the Sample to you
is voluntary, not solicited by you, and not in confidence.
There are no materials being submitted to you other
than those described in the summary of the Sample at
the end of this letter. 2 .There is no agreement between
us, express or implied, relating to your use or failure
to use the Sample. 3 .I understand and agree that your
use of material containing features and elements similar
to or identical with those contained in the Material
shall not entitle me to any compensation if you determine
that you have an independent legal right to use such
other material, either because such features and elements
were not new or novel, were in the public domain, or
were not originated by me, were independently conceived
or because other persons (including your employees)
may have submitted or may hereafter submit material
containing singular or identical features and elements.
4 .I agree that, should I bring any action against you
for wrongful appropriation of the Material or any part
thereof, such action shall be limited to an action at
law for damages; that in no event shall I be entitled
to an injunction or any other equitable relief, and
that, should I be unsuccessful in any action, I agree
to pay you all of your costs and expenses entailed in
defending or contesting such action. I further agree
that, as a condition precedent to any such action, I
will give you written notice, by Contd Page 2 of 3 certified
or registered mail, of my claim, smting the particulars
in complete detail, within the time prescribed by the
applicable statute of limitations, but in no event later
dm 90 days after I acquire knowledge sufficient to put
me on notice of any such claim. 5.I warrant that the
Sample is original with me, that I have full power and
authority to submit the Sample to you, that I have the
exclusive right to grant all rights in the Sample, and
I hereby bind myself and all other parties claiming
under or through me to adhere fully to the terms and
conditions provided herein. 6.Although I have retained
a copy of the Sample, I understand that you will return
the copy of the Sample submitted to you, if I so request.
I assume full responsibility for any loss, theft or
destruction of such copy while it is in your possession
or transit. 7.If any provision of this agreement is
deemed to be invalid, it shall be considered deleted
here from and shall not invalidate the remaining provisions.
Sincerely, Date: State of Ss.: County of On - before
me, personally known tome OR proved to me on the basis
of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s)
is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged
to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their
author capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature(s)
on the entry the person(s), or the entity upon behalf
of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument.
Witness my hand and official seal. (seal) Signatory
of Notary
How do
I option a book?
There really is no set price for options; it's all a factor
of supply and demand. In the film business, options run
from $10,000 per year up into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars. The price will be significantly affected by
the publication date of the source material. If it has
yet to be released or is just being released by a small
press, Hollywood may not have seen it yet and could run
up your price with other offers. If the book has been
out for a while, you probably could get it for a modest
sum, in the $5,000 to $15,000 range. If it's presently
in galley or manuscript at a major publisher, you can
be assured it's already under consideration in Hollywood
and offers may be forthcoming. In terms of the agreement
itself, many options are individually customized to the
deal by attorneys on both sides. There are standard-form
agreement books available for the entertainment industry;
however, I would strongly recommend that you have an experienced
entertainment attorney review the paperwork if you go
that route. If you cobble the agreement together from
standard forms, that saves attorney drafting time, but
you want to make sure you haven't left yourself vulnerable.
Your ability to set up your script later will hinge on
the underlying right (option) agreement. If it is seriously
flawed, a studio or other buyer could withdraw their interest
if the chain of rights is clouded.
What
magazines (or similar) can I subscribe to?
Script Magazine 5638 Sweet Air Road Baldwin MD 21013-0007
(410)592-3466 (410)592-8062 (fax) Scenario 3200 Tower
Oaks Blvd. Rockville MD 20852 1-800-222-2654 Each issue
contains four screenplays and an interview with each
of the writers. The cost is $59.95/year for quarterlies
(in the US). Creative Screenwriting 816 E Street, Suite
201 Washington DC 20002 USA The Journal Subscriptions
WGAW 7000 West Third Street Los Angeles, CA 90048 It
costs $40 per year for non-members to subscribe to the
magazine, but it's well worth it. Nonmember foreign
mail subs are $50. Filmmaker Magazine (published as
a separate entity of IFP) 1625 Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica,
CA 90404-3822 http://found.cs.nyu.edu/CAT/affiliates/filmmaker/filmmaker.html
Also go to your library and look for issues of Writer's
Digest; screenwriting columns have been written by J.
Michael Straczynski and Lawrence G. DiTillo, and both
are working screenwriters... Larry DiTillo is still
writing the column, so subscribe to the magazine if
you can't wait for your library to update its issues
fast enough.
How
do I register with the WGA (Writers Guild of America)?
For East Coast: To Register a Script: Send 9x12 manila
SASE with $.78 postage. They will send back a registration
packet. Fee for nonmembers is $22. You become eligible
to join the Guild when you achieve the minimum number
of "points." One accumulates the necessary points only
by entering into a contract for writing services with
a Guild signatory. One contract, however, may not earn
you enough points to get you into the Guild - if, for
instance, you are only hired to write a screen story.
A certain number of partial points will enable you to
join as an associate member.
Writers Guild of America
555 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 767-7800, Fax (212) 582-1909?
Do
you have any E-mail addresses of production groups?
Just a few:
Rysher Entertainment:
Rysher@aol.com
Accent Entertainment Group:
73114.417@compuserve.com
Acorn Entertainment:
70530-755@compuserve.com
Aei-Atchity Entertainment International
aeikja@lainet.com
The Aeolian Film Group, Inc.
Jweiskop@interserv.com
Allegro Films
info@allegrofilms.com
Allen Communication, Inc.
http://www.allencom.com/
Anasazi Productions
DEVELEXEC.com (?? as listed)
Apple Golden Productions
applegldn@aol.com
Arama Entertainment
aramaent@delphi.com
Loreen Arbus Productions
tanguero@earthlink.net
Atelier Pictures
pgray@slonet.org
Black Rose Productions
blkrose@primenet.com
Blue Pearl Entertainment
bluelatino@aol.com
Blue Rider Pictures
74774.2454@compuserve.com
Coyote Pass Productions
coyote@earthlink.net
Crystal Rain Media Entertainment, Inc.
crystalrain@earthlink.net
Dan Curtis Productions
KRVJ55A@prodigy.com
DIC Entertainment
dicmikeg@aol.com
Dakota North Entertainment/Dakota Films
76407.74@compuserve.com
Dog and Pony Productions
maven123@aol.com
Bonny Dore Productions
BDore8164@aol.com
Edwards Yellen Entertainment
Rebel@netcom.com
El Dorado Pictures
dennis.shue@castle-rock.la.turner.com
Endless Summer Entertainment
http://www.ernsite.com/
Erratic Entertainment
ludlow953@aol.com
Fischer Company, Preston Stephen
psfco@aol.com
Flight Entertainment
amgillen@aol.com
Flying Fish Productions
ffish@well.com
The Foxboro Company, Inc.
Voyager070@Del.com (Delphi?)
GDP Media Group
gdponline@aol.com
Gekko Film Corp.
tntc@ix.netcom.com
Peter Golden & Associates
Broadlawn@aol.com
The Goldstein Co.,
ggwolff@aol.com
Hollywood Center Studies
info@hollywoodcenter.com
Introvision International
P_Gray14@genie.geis
Kartemquin Films
kartemquin@aol.com
Marty Katz Productions
marty_katz@studio.disney.com
Jim Keeshan Productions
animatics@aol.com
David Kirschner Productions
dkprods@aol.com
David Lancaster
laninco@ix.netcom.com
Leavenworth Associates
dllworth@aol.com
Lightview Entertainment
lightview@aol.com
Doug Linderman & Associates
74631.2335@compuserve.com
Lynn Loring Productions
lynn3939@aol.com
MKD Productions
muffetk@aol.com
Manga Entertainment, Inc.
manga@manga.com
Mase/Kaplan Productions, Inc.
Akaplan@leonardo.net
McCreary & Associates
mccreary@netcom.com
William Moffit Associates
jvtm55a@prodigy.com
Muse of Fire Productions
musofire@leonardo.net
Narrative Television Network
70670.3477@compuserve.com
Nichol Moon Entertainment
nme@emoon.com
Parallax
parallax@aol.com
Brian Pike Productions
Frrj00A@prodigy.com
Quince Productions
72726.357@compuserve.com
R.E.D. Productions, Inc.
http://www.earthlink.net/~redprods/
Raindance Pictures
Falstaph@ix.netcom.com
Red Herring Pictures
heringpix@aol.com
Joanne/Cyber Kid Co.
jofrie@aol.com
Rough Diamond Productions
ptm117A@prodigy.com
Harry Seggerman Productions
74774.2455@compuserve.com
The Alfred Shay Company, Inc.
Voyager@ix.netcom.com
Skoot Doot! Productions
Skootdoot@aol.com
Sunbow Entertainment
postmaster@sunbow.com
Sundance Institute
sundance@deltanet.com
TAE Productions
taeprods@aol.com
Talking Wall Pictures
kidsam@aol.com
Tarnoff/Lazar & Company
jbtarnoff@aol.com
Taweel - Loos & Co. Entertainment "TLC"
tlce@aol.com
Telling Pictures, Inc.
rpepstein@aol.com
Troma, Inc.
http://www.troma.com/home.html
The Underground
uground@wavenet.com
Venture Productions
Ventuprod@aol.com Wales - Pytka walespyt@aol.com
Walsh Productions/Wonderland Dream Factory
wdf@cerfnet.com
Weintraub/Kuhn Productions
ssnr97a@prodigy.com
Wildrice Productions
rice@entnbep.nbc.ge.com
World of Wonder
world@netcom.com
TH-TH-THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
If you feel that any information in this FAQ is incorrect,
then please do not hesitate to E-mail me at stevo@jonlan.demon.co.uk.
I do not claim to be any kind of knowledgeable screenwriter
- just someone who has compiled a FAQ, so please go
easy!
Stephen Smith (stevo@jonlan.demon.co.uk)
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