In this day of advancing cybertechnology I can literally envision marching the crying darlings ino their text file confinement, and once their numbers are sufficient, they achieve a state of life, escape, and put a bounty out on me for wrongfull imprisonment. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...all gunning for me. Talk about sparking a story, uh?

Mark Dixon

Not sure if it's feature length but you could have a decent short if you figure out how to show the "darlings". Animated? Actors as a metaphor?

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Ghostly creatures in full perod dress...exactly like they were written. A regular menagerie of misfits. Some big, some small. Some short, some tall. A wailing and crying circus troupe of apparitions from a past life. A bunch of worthless wannabes.

Mark Dixon

Nice alliteration. It might make a better short story as it's a writer centric idea anyway.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Well, I'll let it incubate in the "Darlings File" and see what develops. I've got bigger fish to fry. Just by your comments I can tell that you're quite astute. We'll get along just fine. "Jack Spratt could eat not fat, his wife could eat no lean..." you catch my drift? Now, that's all I need is a couple suitcases full of Ben Franklins, an investment group that believes in the project, or a producer that loves the screenplay, and I'll be off to the races. That's not too much to ask is it? Piece of cake... Ha Ha! You can tell I'm quite a dreamer. I do pray a lot.

Mark Dixon

Dreams keep you going. The filmmaker without dreams isn't gonna last long.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

One thing I dream about daily is the soundtrack and the songs that will the accompany certain scenes. I need some input on music rights and what realistically I'm looking at expense wise to secure rights to music. First, what is the process for aquiring a song for your film? Second, are certain songs less expensive than others? What is the price range a song can cost to use? Third, are any songs public domain? Fourth, would I be farther ahead to find the musicians and record it myself or would this be infringement? Just wondered? I gotta start rounding up those Franklins and I'm sure that this aspect will consume a few of them. I need your best advice. Thx.

Mark Dixon

If you are using a pre-recorded song or another pre-recorded piece
of music in your film, there are two rights you need to clear;
that is to say, you need to get two different licenses to use the
music.

--Synchronization License: This is the right to synchronize a song
or a piece of music with your visual image. It must be obtained
from the copyright owner of the music, which is usually the
publisher. You can find out who the publisher is by using ASCAP's
Clearance Express (ACE) at ?url? http://www.ascap.com?/url?. Songs
that are not represented by ASCAP might be found at the National
Music Publishers' Association "Songfile" website
?url? http://www.nmpa.org?/url?. You will be provided with a
contact at the publisher's Business Affairs or Licensing
Department.

--Master Use License: This is the right to reproduce a specific
recording of a song in your film. You clear this right with the
record label who owns the specific recording you would like to
use; see the liner notes of the recording to find out which
company this is. Alternatively, you can get contact information
for record labels by calling ASCAP's Film/TV Department. You will
be provided with a contact at the record label's Business Affairs
Department. If you?re planning on producing a soundtrack album
for your film you will need to negotiate additional soundtrack
rights with the publisher and record label at the same time as
your master use rights for your film. Don?t even think about
waiting till you can scrounge up the funds.

Like the making of a movie, the price can range all over the
place - from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands to
not being available at all.

Yes, there are songs and even recordings in the public domain. You'll
need to search the public domain web sites for them. Most were
published or recorded prior to 1928 or so.

Even if you record your own version of a song you will still have to
get the rights to do so. And this, too, can cost anywhere from a few
hundred to several hundred thousand.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Well, as a "newbie" this discussion has been an eye opening experience, to say the least. The sheer amount of experise required in every aspect of this process is overwhelming. Even on my best day I would never attempt to personally try and pull this off. Right now I believe that the best thing I could do is to submit my screnplay to agents and/or possibly screenwriting competitions. Once an agent is willing to represent the film and find a producer that likes it, many of these technicalities will be taken care of by the production company. The only drawback to this is that I may lose my artistic license in certain aspects of the way I'd like the film done. After having taken an inventory of all that is required to pull this off it's probably my only option at this point. I think you'll agree. Thanks for your input. You've been more than patient and very helpful in this inquiry.

Mark Dixon

My next question would be in regards to the screenplay submission process. Is there anything in particular that would be different than sending out an "agent querie" letter to literary agents except that these queries would be to all agents accepting new screenplays to review? Do you have any links to an agent list that I could send these queries to? Do you have any other "Pearls of Wisdom" to bestow upon me in these regards? Thanks again, Mark

Mark Dixon

There is a reason that there is a small army of experts working on a film set. There are ways to cut down the numbers and complications but although compromise can boost creativity more often it is the vile enemy of art.

Despite the difficulty I think making the movie yourself probably has a better success chance these days with internet distribution and digital cameras and stuff than trying the agent route and fighting to even get your screenplay read in the first place.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

I'm a bit surprised at your response. I don't know why. I guess I should have known that you'd vie for the true expression of the art, rather than succumb to the vile commercialized enemy. Well, if I'm going that route I'll certainly need that suitcase of Frankins but, on the good side, I'll never have to worry about my artistic portrayal being bastardized.

Mark Dixon

I'm all for commercialization. I think my own movies would be very marketable. My point is that getting a screenplay read by the studios is very, very difficult and I think there are other ways to get your foot in the door these days that were not possible 10 years ago. I wish you luck trying to get noticed.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

A membership at the local yacht club? I think some of the best stuff is sitting in a mayonaise jar on Funk & Wagnals back porch and unless you know someone it's paddling upstream. What I can't for the life of me figure out is why, when there is so much good stuff that isn't even considered, is this worthless bunk being published and produced? It's a joke. I sense that you're experiencing the same frustration of getting your work recognized as well. I believe you may be right...being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with it, and that is nothing but sheer luck.

Mark Dixon

Why is a good question but one person's Casablanca is another person's Barb Wire and sometimes a screenwriter will have a brilliant piece in his head that doesn't really come out on the page which is why I advocate make it yourself the first go around. I haven't made it myself, I made my own movie and its not even done (post production nightmares plus divorce) but the process helped make me a far better writer, in my humble opinion.

Anyway here is a good article on the micro-budget entranceway into the business.

http://www.1000dollarfilm.com/whats-your-film-career-strategy/news/2008/08/04/

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA