The $5000 came from the pdf linked from the page I linked. It was the only thing listing money that I found in my two minute search so I copy/pasted it. Now that you say so it does read as if that's in addition to payment but I'm not certain because of the legalise.
It says "The fee gives the Company the right to publish the screenplay on videodiscs/videocassettes." which seems really odd, how many DVDs print up the screenplay? Unless that is refering to publish the movie (based on the screenplay) to videodisks/videocassettes in edition to showing the movie in theaters and such.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
quote:
Originally posted by rjschwarz
Unless that is refering to publish the movie (based on the screenplay) to videodisks/videocassettes in edition to showing the movie in theaters and such.
If it is it's a very awkward way of wording it!
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There's daggers in mens' smiles
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There's daggers in men's smiles
That's true but the wording of the US Government copyright forms is similar (and similarly confusing)
http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpai.pdf
quote:
The statute defines ?publication? as ?the distribution of copies or
phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by
rental, lease, or lending?; a work is also ?published? if there has been an ?offering to
distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further dis-
tribution, public performance, or public display.?
Bold is mine. This wording applies to both the motionpicture itself as well as the screenplay. Both are copyrigthed seperately.
Of course splitting the fees that way is odd but it makes sense because it allows the Producer to pay less on movies that never get finished. Normally I would think it applies to literally printing up the screenplay (who gets the money from the screenplay sold in stores) but it seems like the WGA is giving the writer no option to own the screenplay. It's take the money or not. That seems unlikely.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
Thank you all for the responses and discussion. I tend to agree more with Certified in that it is probably best to ask some type of monetary fee and not write something for free. As a good deal of things in life are based on perception, coming off as a professional (or at least a semi-professional) and asking for some money for the work, even if minimal, suggests that one is confident with his/her work and not just some amateur grabbing at table scraps 🙂
Since we are on the on the subject of copyrights, I am curious, should everything that a screenwriter writes, even for contract, be copyrighted in the author?s name? Would this apply to staff writers on a show (i.e. Joe Q writes for The Family Guy and, therefore, are his scripts copyrighted in Joe Q?s name or the Producers)?
quote:
Originally posted by jrs397
Since we are on the on the subject of copyrights, I am curious, should everything that a screenwriter writes, even for contract, be copyrighted in the author?s name? Would this apply to staff writers on a show (i.e. Joe Q writes for The Family Guy and, therefore, are his scripts copyrighted in Joe Q?s name or the Producers)?
Work for hire of any kind will usually be copyrighted by the people who paid for it; the writer's contract would presumably stipulate that they release all copyright to the producer in return for their fee.
Imagine the situation with computer software, for example, if everything programmers wrote was copyrighted by the programmer; Microsoft would have a real hard time selling Windows.
Just tell them how much you feel its worth to you, they will probs try and hagel with you anyway which is to be expected. Cleary.
www.myspace.com/holteendproductions
www.youtube.com/yoursayvideos
