Reader Question: Does posting your script on a public website hurt its chance of selling?
Sean Z P Harris asks:
Howdy Scott,
Long time, no post! I have a quick question: would a studio still buy a script that had been uploaded for critique on a public website such as GITS Club?
Would the fact that virutally anyone in the world may also have a copy of the script put them off?
No. In fact, studios have bought many scripts that have been workshopped on various sites like TGC, Triggerstreet, and the like.
That said, I suppose a scenario like this could arise:
Writer A workshops a script in a public online venue.
Finishing the script, the writer gets representation, the script goes out, Studio Z buys the script.
Studio Z gets slapped with a lawsuit from Writer B who claims that he wrote the same basic script as Writer A and they have reason to believe Studio Z had access to Writer’s B draft.
In fact, Writer B could have taken the script of Writer A, done some sort of cosmetic polish to distinguish it from Writer A’s draft, and purport that to be their original script.
But they would have a long way to go to gain any traction with their claim. And what is their claim anyhow? Studio Z had a choice of Writer A’s script and Writer B’s script, but they chose Writer A’s script? There’s no rights infringement there.
Another legal scenario could be this: Writer A’s script gets produced. After the movie comes out and makes a zillion dollar, Writer B shows up with a version of their draft which they believe Studio Z used parts of in the movie. I have heard that these type of nuisance suits happen a lot. Here a major point Writer B would have to prove is their script actually got to execs at Studio Z. Hard to do since the studios have built virtual moats to keep unsolicited material off the premises.
Three points as part of the bigger picture:
* The studios all have major legal departments. They pay these men and women hefty salaries to handle things like nuisance suits.
* Your goal is to write the best script possible. Workshopping your script with a group of knowledgable writers can help you do that.
* Your goal is also to get your script in front of as many eyeballs as possible. It only takes one person with the right connections and clout to change your life.
So all three of those points, but especially the last two, lend credence to the value of workshopping your script and putting it out there for people to read.
If I’m wrong on this, I hope folks will tell me why in comments.
And while we’re here, what are the current online workshop resources like The GITS Club?
UPDATE: @FrankenScript tweeted this:
What if Writer B gets a deal before Writer A, using Writer A’s script?
I tweeted back:
That would totally suck.
Look, I guess it could happen. You can always copyright your material [if you want to be completely safe, copyright, not WGA registration for reasons detailed here. But still I suppose someone could scarf your script from under you.
Not that this would be any comfort to you, but Hollywood is a small community. Any writer who gets a reputation for stealing stories will not work there for long.
A much more relevant concern will be when you break into the business, then go up for an OWA where it’s you versus 20 other writers. And there’s nothing, absolutely nothing to keep the studio from taking the best ideas they here, putting them together into a nice, neat document, then handing that over to a writer with whom they have an overall deal, and saying, “Write this.” That is a legitimate concern about something that actually does happen. Well, let’s just say writers believe it happens. To my knowledge, no one has ever proved anything. But there is enough anecdotal ‘evidence’ to suggest funny business does go on in this regard.
But someone else stealing your script? As I say, I suppose it can happen. But the chances are so slim, the benefits of workshopping — in my humble view — outweigh the concerns.
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